• The KIPS Transactions:PartA
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• v.13A no.5 s.102
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• pp.465-472
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• 2006

Recently, many suggestions have been made in image segmentation methods for extracting human organs or disease affected area from huge amounts of medical image datasets. However, images from some areas, such as brain, which have multiple structures with ambiruous structural borders, have limitations in their structural segmentation. To address this problem, clustering technique which classifies voxels into finite number of clusters is often employed. This, however, has its drawback, the influence from noise, which is caused from voxel by voxel operations. Therefore, applying image enhancing method to minimize the influence from noise and to make clearer image borders would allow more robust structural segmentation. This research proposes an efficient structural segmentation method by filtering based clustering to extract detail structures such as white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid from brain MR. First, coherence enhancing diffusion filtering is adopted to make clearer borders between structures and to reduce the noises in them. To the enhanced images from this process, fuzzy c-means clustering method was applied, conducting structural segmentation by assigning corresponding cluster index to the structure containing each voxel. The suggested structural segmentation method, in comparison with existing ones with clustering using Gaussian or general anisotropic diffusion filtering, showed enhanced accuracy which was determined by how much it agreed with the manual segmentation results. Moreover, by suggesting fine segmentation method on the border area with reproducible results and minimized manual task, it provides efficient diagnostic support for morphological abnormalities in brain.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2009

Al doped $LiMn_2O_4$ cathode powders with fine size were synthesized by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method from the spray solution with citric acid and ethylene glycol. The as-prepared powders with spherical shape, porous structure and micron size turned into $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders with micron size and regular morphology after post-treatment above $800^{\circ}C$. The $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders had low initial discharge capacity of 94 mAh/g at a post-treatment temperature of $700^{\circ}C$. As the post-temperature increased from $750^{\circ}C$ to $1,000^{\circ}C$, the initial discharge capacities of the $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders changed from 103 to 117 mAh/g. The $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders had the maximum discharge capacity at a post-treatment temperature of $750^{\circ}C$. However, the $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders post-treated at a temperature of $900^{\circ}C$ had the good cycle properties. The discharge capacities of the $LiMn_{11/6}Al_{1/6}O_4$ powders dropped from 107 to 100 mAh/g (93% capacity retention) by the 70th cycle at a current density of 0.1 C.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.444-455
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• 2019

The purpose of this research was to analyze technological trends of 「Military Small Giant Venture Tech-Fi Net」 from Defense Technology Information Service via social network analysis. 「Military Small Giant Venture Tech-Fi Net」, which was constituted for their fine technology for application to the military field, registered 847 technologies of 388 companies. In this research, we analyzed 847 technologies for the relations between "Military System" and "Military Technology Category" via centrality measurement, one of the social network analysis methods. The results indicate that the major technologies of domestic military small giant venture companies were "Sensor" and "ICT" for "C4I System" and "Surveillance and Reconnaissance System" and "Platform/Structure" for "Land System", "Aeronautical System" and "Naval Sea System". In contrast, we recognized inadequate technologies, such as "Propellant" and "Material" for "Missile and Ammunition system" and "Sensor" and "ICT" for "Defense System", We hope that our results and method will be conducive to the technological development of Small Giant Venture companies.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.439-448
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• 2010

General consensus on typical vertical profile of dissolved oxygen in the Ulleung Basin is that dissolved oxygen concentration beyond 300 m decreases with increasing depth. However, the results of our observations in 2005 and 2006 revealed three different dissolved oxygen distribution types in the deep layer of the Ulleung Basin. The first type showed oxygen concentration decreasing with increasing depth (Type-1), the second showed oxygen concentration decreasing very sharply near the bottom boundary layer but constant in the bottom adiabatic layer (Type-2), the final was of the oxygen minimum layer above the bottom boundary layer (Type-3). Type-2 was the most common pattern in the Ulleung Basin. Type-1 was most common close to the Japan Basin, including the Ulleung Interplane Gap, while Type-3 was found around Dok do. Oxygen Consumption Rate (OCR) at surface sediment estimated using the dissolved oxygen distribution at the bottom boundary layer was $0.2{\sim}5.8\;mmol{\cdot}m^{-2}d^{-1}$, which coincided with OCR from direct sediment incubation. This implies that organic matter decomposition at surface sediment may play an important role in dissolved oxygen distribution patterns at the bottom boundary layer of the Ulleung Basin.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.18 no.4 s.94
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• pp.489-496
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• 2006

Graft copolymerized polycarboxylate(PC)-type superplasticizers which have carboxylic acid with $\pi$ bond among the molecular structure and polyethyleneglycol methyl ether methacrylate(PMEM) were synthesized by free radical reaction. To investigate their chemical structures and molecular weights, PCs were analyzed by FT-IR(fourier transform spectrometer), C-NMR(nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer) and GPC(gel permeation chromatograpy). When types of carboxylic acids(methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, maleic anhydride, and itaconic acid) and molar ratios of carboxylic acid/PMEM) were varied, adsorptive and fluid characteristics in cement paste were discussed. As the molar ratio of carboxylic acid/PMEM) was higher, amount adsorbed on the cement particles and the fluidity of cement paste by mini-slump spread testing method were increased. When main chain of PC was methacrylic acid, a larger amount was adsorbed on the cement particles. PCs with acrylic acid as main chain showed higher dispersing power. However, it was confirmed that PCs with dicarboxylic acids(maleic anhydride, itaconic acid) didn't have good adsorption and dispersibility.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this research was to develop and evaluate natural hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics produced from the heat treatment of pig bones. Methods: The properties of natural HA ceramics produced from pig bones were assessed in two parts. Firstly, the raw materials were characterized. A temperature of $1,200^{\circ}C$ was chosen as the calcination temperature. Fine bone powders (BPs) were produced via calcinations and a milling process. Sintered BPs were then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and a 2-year in vitro degradability test. Secondly, an indirect cytotoxicity test was conducted on human osteoblast-like cells, MG63, treated with the BPs. Results: The average particle size of the BPs was $20{\pm}5{\mu}m$. FE-SEM showed a non-uniform distribution of the particle size. The phase obtained from XRD analysis confirmed the structure of HA. Elemental analysis using XRF detected phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) with the Ca/P ratio of 1.6. Functional groups examined by FTIR detected phosphate ($PO{_4}^{3-}$), hydroxyl ($OH^-$), and carbonate ($CO{_3}^{2-}$). The EDX, XRF, and FTIR analysis of BPs indicated the absence of organic compounds, which were completely removed after annealing at $1,200^{\circ}C$. The BPs were mostly stable in a simulated body fluid (SBF) solution for 2 years. An indirect cytotoxicity test on natural HA ceramics showed no threat to the cells. Conclusions: In conclusion, the sintering temperature of $1,200^{\circ}C$ affected the microstructure, phase, and biological characteristics of natural HA ceramics consisting of calcium phosphate. The Ca-P-based natural ceramics are bioactive materials with good biocompatibility; our results indicate that the prepared HA ceramics have great potential for agricultural and biological applications.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.1-41
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• 2007

Since Korea experienced a 'jobless growth' in 2003, creating jobs in the service sector has been considered as a top priority employment agenda. However, despite high employment outcomes in services, labor productivity remains stagnant in the service sector in recent years. A great deal of concern has been raised regarding newly created service jobs. Critics say low productivity in the service sector will harm the engine of economic growth in our country. This paper investigates the side of the demand for quality of labor, namely, the demand for skills as one of the main source of low productivity in the service sector. To analyze the changes of skills demand, this paper suggests the concept of job-based skills instead of worker-based skills and presents the way of constructing measures of job-based skills. By means of common factor analysis using job information in the Korean Dictionary of Occupational Titles, I extract 4 direct measures of job-based skills, such as cognitive skills, physical skills, fine skills, interactive skills. These skill measures are used to explore and to test how the skill structure changed in the service sector during 2002-2006. Empirical Results show that whereas the goods sector makes progress toward upskilling being represented by increased cognitive elements and softenization of tasks, the service sector, although high-educated workers increased, exhibits trends of deskilling in the sense of job-based skills during 2002-2006 in Korea. The trend of deskilling however does not seem a general aspect in the overall service sector. Rather, it seems a compound process that high-skilled jobs are created, but, on the other hand low-skilled jobs requiring physical labor are produced at the same time.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2001

Safflower has been cultivated in Korea and thought to have excellent effects on bone in oriental medicine and folk remedy and has been taken for a long time. Safflower is thought to be helpful for the development and sustenance of bones according to the result of recent assay of its components. Otherwise, any reliable experimental data have not been suggested so far. We have carried out this study to examine the prophylactic effects of safflower-seed-powder on the prevention of osteoporosis induced by the ovariectomy 12 Weeks-old Sprague-Dawley rats weighing about 230 g was kept in the experimental condition and used in this study. Animals were taken 0.3 g of safflower-seed-powder once a day for 1, 3, 5, and 7 weeks after ovariectomizing both ovaries and observed the fine structure of tibia. Tissues were fixed with traditional SEM preparation methods and decalcified for 10 hours with 10% nitric acid and dehydration, drying, and gold-coating were followed by the routine procedures and observed with scanning electron microscope (Hitachi, S-450). Loss of bone was started just after ovariectomy and thickness of bone from the medullary cavity to the compact bone was reduced and the extension of medullary cavity was serious in the control group of 7 weeks. Experimental groups taken safflower-seed-powder showed similar findings from 1 week to 7 weeks. These results suggest that the safflower-seed-powder is thought to be efficient for the prevention of osteoporosis owing to the deficiency of female sex hormone.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.197-215
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• 1997

A morphologic study on the effect of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on experimental hepatocarcinogenesis induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethyl aminoazobenzene (3'-MeDAB) was investigated. A total of 110 Sprague-Dowley male rats weighting about 200 g each were used for the experiment, and divided into 4 groups; the 3'-MeDAB, BHT, 3'-MeDAB/BHT treated group, and the control group. Four to eight rats of each group were sacrified on the 4th, 8th, 14th and 16th experimental weeks, with continuous pelletized feeding containing 0.09% 3'-MeDAB and 0.5% BHT. The liver was examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results were as follows; Electron microscopically, the fine structure of the hepatocytes remained consistently abnormal up to 16 weeks after the 3'-MeDAB treatment. There was no significant difference in the groups observed earlier than in the ones observed later. Many subcellular changes were observed : nuclear change, decreased glycogen, mitochondrial abnormalities, disaggregated rough endoplasmic reticulum, marked proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, dilatation and distortion of bile canaliculi, increased lysosomes, apoptotic bodies, migration of bile ductule cell. In the BHT treated group, the ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes were not significant, except for the lipid droplets and proliferated smooth endoplasmic reticulum among hepatocytes depending on the experimental duration. The various subcellular changes of 3'-MeDAB/BHT treated groups were simillar to those of the 3'-MeDAB treated group, but the degree of changes in the 3'-MeDAB/ BHT treated group decreased compared with those of the 3'-MeDAB treated group. These results suggest that dietary butylated hydroxytoluene has a protective/inhibitory effect on the hepatocarcinogenesis induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethyl -aminoazobenzene.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.63-77
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• 1994

This experiment was performed to study the morphological responses of the epidermis of the rat scalp, following X-ray irradiation. Male rats were divided into normal and experimental groups. Rats anesthetized with sodium thiopental, were exposed only on their head areas with a single dose of 3,000rads or 6,000rads, respectively. Radiation was produced by Mitsubishi Linea Accelerator ML-4MV at the speed of 200rads/min. The target distance was 80cm. Animals were sacrificed on six hours, two days and six days following irradiation. By the perfusion fixation through the heart, rats were fixed with 1% glutaraldehyde-1% paraformaldehyde solution. Pieces of the tissue taken from the scalp were refixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde-1.5% paraformaldehyde solution, followed by post-fixation with 1% osmium tetroxide, and embedded within araldite mixture. The sections were cut on a LKB-V ultratome, stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate, and were observed with JEM 100CX-II electron microscope. The results were as follow; 1. Six hours after exposure to 3,000rads of X-ray. Disrupted intercellular spaces, within which some amorphous materials were filled, disrupted mitochondria, and vacuoles in the keratinocytes were frequently observed, but six days after exposure to 3,000rads of X-ray, Morphology of the keratinocytes was generally restored. 2. Many of the morphological changes were seen on the six days after exposure to 6,000rads of X-ray. 3. Widened intercellular spaces and thickened dense plaques of the desmosomes were frequently observed after exposure to 6,000rads of X-ray. 4. In the experimental groups, the Langerhans and the Merkel cells were damaged, similarly to the keratinocyte. Above results suggest that head irradiation with the dose of 3,000rads temporarily damaged the epidermis of the scalp, though most of the structures recover within six days, whereas with the dose of 6,000rads it severely damaged the epidermis without showing any recovering tendency.