• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3260-3267
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• 2023

Zr-Nb alloy have been widely used as fuel rods in nuclear power plants. However, from the Fukushima nuclear accident, the weakness of the rod was revealed under harsh conditions, and research on the safety of these types of rods was conducted after the disaster. The method of depositing chromium onto the existing Zr-Nb alloy fuel rods is being considered as a means by which to compensate for the weakness of Zr-Nb alloy rods because chromium is strong against oxidation at high temperatures and has high strength. In order to secure these advantages, it is important to maintain the Cr thickness of the rods and properly inspect the rods before and during their use in power generation. Eddy current testing is a typical means of evaluating the thickness of thin metals and detecting surface defects. Depending on the size and shape of the inspected object, various eddy current sensors can be applied. In particular, because pancake sensors can be manufactured in very small sizes, they can be used for inspections even in narrow spaces, such as a nuclear fuel assembly. In this study, an eddy current technique was developed to confirm the feasibility of Cr coating thickness evaluations. After determining the design parameters of the pancake sensor by means of a FEM simulation, a FPCB pancake sensor was manufactured and the optimal frequency was selected by measuring minute changes in the Cr-coating thickness using the developed sensor.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.273-294
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• 2023

Background: Most developed countries are working to improve their universal health coverage systems. This study investigates regional disparities in unmet healthcare needs and their causes in South Korea. Additionally, it compares the unmet healthcare needs rate in South Korea with that of 33 European countries. Methods: The analysis incorporates information from 13,359 adults aged 19 or older, using data from the Korea Health Panel. The dependent variables encompass the experience of unmet healthcare needs and the three causes of occurrence: "burden of medical expenses," "time constraints," and "lack of care." The primary variable of interest is the region of residence, while control variables encompass 14 socio-demographic, health, and functional characteristics. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, accounting for the sampling design, is conducted. Results: The rate of unmet healthcare needs in Korea is 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0%-13.3%), which is approximately 30 times higher than that of Austria (0.4%). The causes of unmet healthcare needs, ranked in descending order, are "lack of care," "time constraints," and "burden of medical expenses." Predictive probabilities for experiencing unmet healthcare needs and each cause differ significantly between regions. For instance, the probability of experiencing unmet healthcare needs due to "lack of care" is approximately 10 times higher in Gangwon-do (13.5%; 95% CI, 13.0%-14.1%) than in Busan (1.3%; 95% CI, 1.3%-1.4%). The probability due to "burden of medical expenses" is approximately 14 times higher in Seoul (4.1%; 95% CI, 3.6%-4.6%) compared to Jeollanam-do (0.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-0.4%). Conclusion: Amid rapid sociodemographic transitions, South Korea must make significant efforts to alleviate unmet healthcare needs and the associated regional disparities. To effectively achieve this, it is recommended that South Korea involves the National Assembly in healthcare policy-making, while maintaining a centralized financing model and delegating healthcare planning and implementation to regional authorities for their local residents-similar to the approaches of the United Kingdom and France.

• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.13-17
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• 2009

This paper decided the 3D shape of sandwich composite for the cradle of CT instrument, suggested the stacking sequence with satisfaction on structural criteria using the Finite Element Analysis, and introduced the manufacturing method to meet the X-ray transmission performance uniformly. The design of Cradle was considered the space between other parts, fixing method, and assembly condition with headrest part. It is decided the stacking sequence to meet the criteria that the deflection at the end point is less than 20 mm when it is applied to 135 kg load at the specific locations. In site of manufacturing method, at first, it is used the hand lay-up for carbon UD and carbon fabric/polyester resin, but it had the ununiform X-ray transmission performance due to the void and excess resin. For solving this problem, it was replaced with the infusion method for the first layer of face material and the application of carbon UD or fabric/epoxy resin prepreg for other layers. Therefor, the property of X-ray transmission was improved.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3775-3786
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• 2023

Mixing Vane Grid (MVG) is one of the most important structures in fuel assembly due to its high performance in mixing the coolant and ultimately increasing Critical Heat Flux (CHF), which avoids the temperature rising suddenly of fuel rods. To evaluate the mixing performance of the MVG, a Total Diffusion Coefficient (TDC) mixing coefficient is defined in the subchannel analysis code. Conventionally, the TDC of the spacer grid is obtained from the combination of experiments and subchannel analysis. However, the processing of obtaining and determine a reasonable TDC is much challenging, it is affected by boundary conditions and MVG geometries. In is difficult to perform all the large and costing rod bundle tests. In this paper, the CFD method was applied in TDC analysis. A typical 5 × 5 MVG was simulated and validated to estimate the mixing performance of the MVG. The subchannel code was used to calculate the TDC. Firstly, the CFD method was validated from the aspect of pressure drop and lateral temperature distribution in the subchannels. Then the effect of boundary conditions including the inlet temperature, inlet velocities, heat flux ratio between hot and cold rods and the arrangement of hot and cold rods on MVG mixing and TDC were studied. The geometric effects on mixing are also carried out in this paper. The effect of vane pattern on mixing was investigated to determine which one is the best to represent the grid's mixing performance.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.649-657
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• 2023

ICAO adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) at the 39th General Assembly in 2016, and 115 countries, including South Korea, expressed their intention to participate in CORSIA as of January 1, 2023. Since carbon generated in the aviation industry is mainly caused by greenhouse gases emitted from aircraft engines, fuel consumption must be reduced to reduce carbon emissions. Prior research, such as simulation, is essential to predict the effectiveness of each plan and to make decisions about its implementation. High-quality data is needed to derive accurate results, but it has been difficult to secure actual fuel consumption data, as they are considered to be classified airline data. Therefore, in this paper, after establishing a model that estimates fuel consumption based on actual fuel consumption data, the model is to be advanced to improve its accuracy.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2024

Background: The gamma emission tomography (GET) device has been reported a reliable technique to inspect partial defects within spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of pin-by-pin level. However, the existing GET devices have low accuracy owing to the high attenuation and scatter probability for SNF inspection condition. The purpose of this study is to design and optimize a Yonsei single-photon emission computed tomography version 2 (YSECT.v.2) for fast inspection of SNF in water storage by acquisition of high-quality tomographic images. Materials and Methods: Using Geant4 (Geant4 Collaboration) and DETECT-2000 (Glenn F. Knoll et al.) Monte Carlo simulation, the geometrical structure of the proposed device was determined and its performance was evaluated for the ¹³⁷Cs source in water. In a Geant4-based assessment, proposed device was compared with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-authenticated device for the quality of tomographic images obtained for 12 fuel sources in a 14 × 14 Westinghouse-type fuel assembly. Results and Discussion: According to the results, the length, slit width, and septal width of the collimator were determined to be 65, 2.1, and 1.5 mm, respectively, and the material and length of the trapezoidal-shaped scintillator were determined to be gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet and 45 mm, respectively. Based on the results of performance comparison between the YSECT.v.2 and IAEA's device, the proposed device showed 200 times higher performance in gamma-detection sensitivity and similar source discrimination probability. Conclusion: In this study, we optimally designed the GET device for improving the SNF inspection accuracy and evaluated its performance. Our results show that the YSECT.v.2 device could be employed for SNF inspection.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2024

Large planar military antenna boasts a range of electrical components, including TRA(Transmit-Receive Assembly), signal processors, etc. which engage in computations and calculations. These processes generate a significant amount of heat, leading to unforeseen consequences for the equipment. To mitigate these adverse effects, it's imperative to implement a cooling system that can effectively reduce heat-related issues. Given the antenna's intricate nature and the multitude of components it houses, a two-step estimation process is necessary. The first step involves a comprehensive model calculation to determine the total flow characteristics, while the second step entails a thermal analysis of individual TRA set. In this study, we depicted an antenna set using simplified 3D models of its components, considering their material and thermal properties. The sequential analysis process facilitated the calculation of branched flow rates, providing insights into the individual TRA. This approach also allowed us to design a cooling system for the TRA set, assessing its thermal stability in high-temperature environments. To ensure the optimal performance of TRA, breaking down the analysis into stages based on the cooling system's structure can assist operators in predicting numerical results more effectively.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2012

Objectives : This study examined the selective deficits of executive function in patients with mild traumatic brain injury that in normal range of general intelligence level and aimed to analysis of the correlation between K-WAIS result and executive function. Methods : 59 subjects were included in this study, who were diagnosed as mild traumatic brain injury(MTBI) and they have visited in neuropsychiatric department of Wonkwang University Hospital during from March, 2005 to September, 2010. For measurement of general intelligence quotient, the Korean-Wechsler Adults Intelligence Scale(K-WAIS) was administered and for measurement of executive intelligence quotient(EIQ), Executive Intelligence Test(EXIT) was administered. Results : Of patients, 50.8% included at abnormal EIQ group. The patients of abnormal EIQ showed poorer full scale IQ(FIQ), performance IQ(PIQ) and in subscale that picture arrangement, digit symbol, digit span, block design, object assembly and comprehension were significantly different. In terms of relationships between K-WAIS and EIQ, FIQ and PIQ have positive correlation with EIQ. And in subscale, picture arrangement, digit symbol, digit span, block design, object assembly and comprehension show positive correlation with EIQ. Conclusion : This study suggest that MTBI patients with have normal range of general intelligence level may have deficit of executive function is common. The decline of FIQ, PIQ and some subscales of K-WAIS may suggest executive dysfunction in MTBI patients.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.759-769
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• 2013

Electronic equipment has been applied to virtually every area associated with commercial, industrial, and military applications. Specifically, electronics have been incorporated into avionics components installed in aircraft. This equipment is exposed to dynamic loads such as vibration, shock, and acceleration. Especially, avionics components installed in a helicopter are subjected to simultaneous sine and random base excitations. These are denoted as sine on random vibrations according to MIL-STD-810F, Method 514.5. In the past, isolators have been applied to avionics components to reduce vibration and shock. However, an isolator applied to an avionics component installed in a helicopter can amplify the vibration magnitude, and damage the chassis, circuit card assembly, and the isolator itself via resonance at low-frequency sinusoidal vibrations. The objective of this study is to investigate the dynamic characteristics of an avionics component installed in a helicopter and the structural dynamic modification of its tray plate without an isolator using both a finite element analysis and experiments. The structure is optimized by dynamic loads that are selected by comparing the vibration, shock, and acceleration loads using vibration and shock response spectra. A finite element model(FEM) was constructed using a simplified geometry and valid element types that reflect the dynamic characteristics. The FEM was verified by an experimental modal analysis. Design parameters were extracted and selected to modify the structural dynamics using topology optimization, and design of experiments(DOE). A prototype of a modified model was constructed and its feasibility was evaluated using an FEM and a performance test.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.131-136
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• 1990

여러해 전부터 선박의 생산실적이나 생산성 관련 자료를 기록하고 보완하는 작업을 꾸준히 개선토록 노력해온 결과중 중요한 것 하나는, 선박의 여러 가지 설계 검토과정에서 충분히 활용할 수 있는 함축성 있고 믿을만한 형태의 생산정보를 제공해줄 수 있게 되었다는 것이라고 말 할 수 있겠다. 이러한 자료들은 생산계획상 각 단계(stage)에서의 작업량, 예상재료비와 인건비의 산출등이 포함될 수 있으며, 선박이나 해상구조물의 전반적인 설계방법론(design methodology)을 개선코자 한다면 ''생산지향적 설계(Design for Production)''의 근간이 되는 선박건조전략(build strategy), 구매정책(purchasing policy)과 생산기술(production technology)에 대한 폭넓은 지식이 한데 어우러져야 한다. 최근에는 CIMS의 일부분에서 보는 바와 같은 경영관리, 설계 및 생산지원 시스템의 도입으로 이와 같은 설계 프로세스의 추진을 가능케하고 있다. 이와 병행하여 설계를 지원하기 위한 전산기술, 특히 대화형 화상처리기술(interactive graphics)의 발달은 설계자가 선박의 형상이나 구조 배치를 여러 가지로 변화시켜 가면서 눈으로 즉시 확인할 수 있도록 설계자의 능력을 배가시키는데 크게 기여하고 있다. 여러 가지의 설계안(alternative design arrangement)을 신속히 만들어내고 이를 즉시 검토 평가할 수 있는 능력을 초기설계 단계에서 가질 수 있다면 이는 분명히 큰 장점일 것이며, 더구나 설계초기 단계에 생산관련인자를 설계에서 고려할 수 있다면 이는 더욱 두드러진 발전일 것이다. 생산공법과 관련생산 비용을 정확히 반영한 각 가지의 설계안을 짧은 시간내에 검토하고 생산소요 비용을 산출하여 비교함으로써, 수주계약단계에서 실제적인 생산공법과 신뢰성있는 생산실적자료를 기준으로 하여 총 건조비(total production cost)를 최소로 하는 최적의 설계를 선택할 수 있도록 해 줄 것이다. 이제 이와 같은 새로운 설계도구(design tool)를 제공해 주므로써 초기설계에 각종 생산관련 정보나 지식 및 실적자료가 반영가능토록 발전되었다. 본 논문은 영국의 뉴카슬대학교(Univ. of Newcastle upon Type)에서 위에 언급한 특징들을 반영하여 새로운 선박구조 설계 방법을 개발한 연구결과를 보여주고 있다. 본 선계연구는 5단계로 구분되는데; (1) 컴퓨터 그라픽스를 이용하고 생산정보 데이타베이스와 연결시켜 구조형상(geometry)을 정의하고 구조부재 칫수(scantling) 계산/결정 (2) 블럭 분할(block division) 및 강재 배치(panel arrangement)의 확정을 위해 생산기술 및 건조방식에 대한 정보 제공 (3) 상기 (1) 및 (2)를 활용하여 아래 각 생산 단계에서의 생산작업 분석(work content assessment) a) 생산 준비 단계(Preparation) b) 가공 조립 단계(Fabrication/Assembly) c) 탑재 단계(Erection) (4) 각각의 설계(안)에 대하여 재료비(material cost), 인건비(labour cost) 및 오버헤드 비용(overhead cost)을 산출키 위한 조선소의 생산시설 및 각종 품셈 정보 (5) 총 건조 비용(total production cost)을 산출하여 각각의 설계안을 비교 검토. 본 설계 방식을 산적화물선(Bulk Carrier) 설계에 적용하여 구조배치(structural geometry), 표준화의 정도(levels of standardisation), 구조생산공법(structural topology) 등의 변화에 따른 설계 결과의 민감도를 분석(sensitivity studies)하였다. 전산장비는 설계자의 대화형 접근을 용이하도록 하기 위해 VAX의 화상 처리장치를 이용하여 각 설계안에 대한 구조형상과 작업분석, 건조비 현황 등을 제시할 수 있도록 하였다. 결론적으로 본 연구는 설계초기 단계에서 상세한 건조비 모델(detailed production cost model)을 대화형 화상 처리방법에 접합시켜 이를 이용하여 여러가지 설계안의 도출과 비교검토를 신속히 처리할 수 있도록 함은 물론, 각종 생산 실적정보를 초기설계에 반영하는 최초의 시도라고 믿으며, 생산지향적(Design for Production) 최적설계분야의 발전에 많은 도움이 되기를 기대해 마지 않는다. 참고로 본 시스템의 설계 적용결과를 부록에 요약 소개하며, 상세한 내용은 참고문헌 [4] 또는 [7]을 참조 요망한다.