• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.64 no.2
• /
• pp.247-254
• /
• 2021

Objective : The subaxial cervical pedicle screwing technique shows powerful biomechanical properties for posterior cervical fusion. When applying a pedicle screw using the freehand technique, it is essential to analyse cervical computed tomography and plan the surgery accordingly. Normal cervical computed tomography is usually performed in the supine position, whereas during surgery, the patient lies in a prone position. This fact leads us to suppose that radiological evaluations may yield misleading results. Our study aimed to investigate whether there is any superiority between preoperative preparation on computed tomography performed in the prone position and that performed in the supine position. Methods : This study included 17 patients (132 pedicle screws) who were recently operated on with cervical vertebral computed tomography in the prone position and 17 patients (136 pedicle screws) who were operated on by conventional cervical vertebral computed tomography as the control group. The patients in both groups were compared in terms of age, gender, pathological diagnosis, screw malposition and complications. A screw malposition evaluation was made according to the Gertzbein-Robbins scale. Results : No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding age, gender and pathological diagnosis. The screw malposition rate (from 11.1% to 6.9%, p<0.05), mean malposition distance (from 2.18 mm to 1.86 mm, p <0.05), and complications statistically significantly decreased in the prone position computed tomography group. Conclusion : Preoperative surgical planning by performing cervical vertebral computed tomography in the prone position reduces screw malposition and complications. Our surgical success increased with a simple modification that can be applied by all clinicians without creating additional radiation exposure or additional costs.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.37 no.5_1
• /
• pp.989-998
• /
• 2021

In the utilization of optical satellite imagery, which is greatly affected by clouds, periodic composite technique is a useful method to minimize the influence of clouds. Recently, a technique for selecting the optimal pixel that is least affected by the cloud and shadow during a certain period by directly inputting cloud and cloud shadow information during period compositing has been proposed. Accurate extraction of clouds and cloud shadowsis essential in order to derive optimal composite results. Also, in the case of an surface targets where spectral information is important, such as crops, the loss of spectral information should be minimized during cloud-free compositing. In thisstudy, clouds using two spectral indicators (Haze Optimized Tranformation and MeanVis) were used to derive a detection technique with low loss ofspectral information while maintaining high detection accuracy of clouds and cloud shadowsfor cabbage fieldsin the highlands of Gangwon-do. These detection results were compared and analyzed with cloud and cloud shadow information provided by Sentinel-2A/B. As a result of analyzing data from 2019 to 2021, cloud information from Sentinel-2A/B satellites showed detection accuracy with an F1 value of 0.91, but bright artifacts were falsely detected as clouds. On the other hand, the cloud detection result obtained by applying the threshold (=0.05) to the HOT showed relatively low detection accuracy (F1=0.72), but the loss ofspectral information was minimized due to the small number of false positives. In the case of cloud shadows, only minimal shadows were detected in the Sentinel-2A/B additional layer, but when a threshold (= 0.015) was applied to MeanVis, cloud shadowsthat could be distinguished from the topographically generated shadows could be detected. By inputting spectral indicators-based cloud and shadow information,stable monthly cloud-free composited vegetation index results were obtained, and in the future, high-accuracy cloud information of Sentinel-2A/B will be input to periodic cloud-free composite for comparison.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.18-31
• /
• 2001

Interfacial and microfailure properties of the modified steel, carbon and glass fibers/cement composites were investigated using electro-pullout test under tensile and compressive tests with acoustic emission (AE). The hand-sanded steel composite exhibited higher interfacial shear strength (IFSS) than the untreated and even neoalkoxy zirconate (Zr) treated steel fiber composites. This might be due to the enhanced mechanical interlocking, compared to possible hydrogen or covalent bonds. During curing process, the contact resistivity decreased rapidly at the initial stage and then showed a level-off. Comparing to the untreated case, the contact resistivity of either Zr-treated or hand-sanded steel fiber composites increased to the infinity at latter stage. The number of AE signals of hand-sanded steel fiber composite was much more than those of the untreated and Zr-treated cases due to many interlayer failure signals. AE waveforms for pullout and frictional signals of the hand-sanded composite are larger than those of the untreated case. For dual matrix composite (DMC), AE energy and waveform under compressive loading were much higher and larger than those under tensile loading, due to brittle but well-enduring ceramic nature against compressive stress. Vertical multicrack exhibits fur glass fiber composite under tensile test, whereas buckling failure appeared under compressive loading. Electro-micromechanical technique with AE can be used as an efficient nondestructive (NDT) method to evaluate the interfacial and microfailure mechanisms for conductive fibers/brittle and nontransparent cement composites.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.84-91
• /
• 2006

In this study, the effect of EGR and fuel injection pressure on the characteristics of combustion and emission performance of the common-rail diesel engine is investigated using DME fuel as a smoke-free alternative fuel. Because the heating value and density of DME fuel are lower than those of diesel fuel, the injection duration of the DME engine is relatively longer than the injection duration of the diesel engine with the same injection pressure. However, the higher injection pressure can shorten the injection duration for the DME engine. Although the smoke level of the DME engine is much lower than that of the diesel engine, the NOx is at a level similar to that of the diesel engine. As a proposed solution for this, the EGR technique is empirically applied to the DME engine. In the experiments, the injection pressure was changed from 200bar to 400bar, and the EGR rate was limited under 40%. With the same injection timing and fuel amount, the experiment results indicated that the increase of injection pressure led to the increase of IMEP while decreasing HC and CO emissions. However, the NOx emission tends to increase as the injection pressure becomes higher. On the other hand, as the EGR rate was increased, NOx emission and A/F were reduced while the HC and CO emissions were increased. Because HC and CO emissions have the critical A/F point where the emissions of HC and CO are rapidly increased, it is proposed that the EGR rate must be limited under the critical EGR rate.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.780-783
• /
• 2006

Purpose: Rupture of a collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal joint is rare except in the thumb. The injured digit became flexed and deviated toward ulna side by the hypothenar intrinsic musculature. Incomplete rupture of a collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal joint can be often managed by splinting the affected digit in flexion position, however, in the case of complete tears that distraction of the ends of the ruptured collateral ligament is too great to allow repositioning by splinting. Primary repair of the ruptured collateral ligament or reattachment to bone by a pull-out wire, or tendon graft technique appears to be adequate. Methods: We report a case of instability of fifth metacarpophalangeal joint due to complete rupture of radial collateral ligament. This 18-year-old male presented pain in his right outstretched hand after trauma. The diagnosis was obtained by physical examination and simple radiography. Because of persistent instability after the initial conservative treatment, open reduction and repair surgical treatment was required. Results: The fifth metacarpophalangeal joint became free of pain and stable under forced lateral deviation. Postoperative results showed good metacarpophalangeal joint function and stability during 8 months follow-up period. Conclusion: Because of the interposition of the sagittal band between the ruptured ends of radial collateral ligament such as Stener-like lesion of the thumb, surgical repair of metacarpophalangeal joint collateral ligament of the finger was justified in case of complete laxity in full flexion.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.36-41
• /
• 2008

Surgical treatment of compressive ulnar neuropathy at the elbow has been performed with a wide variety of techniques. Among these techniques, anterior submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve has been regarded as the method of choice by many authors. It has many advantages including a low recurrence rate, scar-free vascular bed, and protection from repeated trauma to the nerve. However, anterior submuscular transposition is technically demanding and requires more extensive soft tissue dissection. On the other hand, anterior subfascial transposition is less invasive, requires a relatively shorter operation time than the submuscular technique, and also can be done safely even in patiensts with elbow arthritis. We evaluated the clinical results of anterior submuscular transposition compared with anterior subfascial transposition. Fifteen patients underwent anterior submuscular transposition and ten patients underwent anterior subfascial transposition of the ulnar nerve. The mean follow-up time was 15 months (range 10 to 38 months) in the anterior submuscular transposition group and 7 months (range 6 to 15 months) in the anterior subfascial transposition group. According to the outcome status determination algorithm devised by Mowlavi, 3 patients (20%) showed total relief, 10 patiensts (66.7%) improvement and 2 patients (13.3%) no changes in the anterior submuscular transposition group. In the anterior subfascial transposition group, 2 patients (20%) showed total relief, 7 patients (70%) improvement and 1 patient (10%) displayed no changes. Statistically there was no significant difference of the clinical results between the two surgical techniques. Therefore we would suggest anterior subfascial transposition of the ulnar nerve as a preferred method for treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome.

• Progress in Superconductivity
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.140-144
• /
• 2006

We fabricated the YBCO films on single crystal $LaAlO_3$ substrates via a metal organic deposition (MOD) process. In the process, $Y_2Ba_1Cu_1O_x$ and $Ba_3Cu_5O_8$ powders were dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) followed by calcining and firing heat treatments. To evaluate the effects of the firing temperature on YBCO phase formation and critical properties, the films were fired at $750^{\circ}C,\;775^{\circ}C\;and\;800^{\circ}C$ after calcining at $430^{\cric}C$. Microstructure observation indicated that a crack-free surface formed and a strong biaxial texture was developed. The FWHM of out-of-plane texture was measured to be in the range of $4.3^{\cric}-7.0^{\circ}$ for all the films. When the YBCO film was fired at $775^{\cric}C$, it had the highest critical properties: 88.5 K of critical temperature and 16 A/cm-width of critical current ($1MA/cm^2$ as critical current density). On the other hand, those properties were degraded as firing at $750^{\circ}C\;and\;800^{\circ}C$. It is considered that the improved critical values are partly owing to dense and homogeneous microstructure, strong texture, and high oxygen content.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.435-460
• /
• 2017

The main objective of this study is to investigate the turning and zig-zag maneuvering performance of the well-known naval surface combatant DTMB (David Taylor Model Basin) 5415 hull with URANS (Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) method. Numerical simulations of static drift tests have been performed by a commercial RANS solver based on a finite volume method (FVM) in an unsteady manner. The fluid flow is considered as 3-D, incompressible and fully turbulent. Hydrodynamic analyses have been carried out for a fixed Froude number 0.28. During the analyses, the free surface effects have been taken into account using VOF (Volume of Fluid) method and the hull is considered as fixed. First, the code has been validated with the available experimental data in literature. After validation, static drift, static rudder and drift and rudder tests have been simulated. The forces and moments acting on the hull have been computed with URANS approach. Numerical results have been applied to determine the hydrodynamic maneuvering coefficients, such as, velocity terms and rudder terms. The acceleration, angular velocity and cross-coupled terms have been taken from the available experimental data. A computer program has been developed to apply a fast maneuvering simulation technique. Abkowitz's non-linear mathematical model has been used to calculate the forces and moment acting on the hull during the maneuvering motion. Euler method on the other hand has been applied to solve the simultaneous differential equations. Turning and zig-zag maneuvering simulations have been carried out and the maneuvering characteristics have been determined and the numerical simulation results have been compared with the available data in literature. In addition, viscous effects have been investigated using Eulerian approach for several static drift cases.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.227-237
• /
• 2002

A numerical technique for simulating the aggregation of charged particles was presented with a Brownian dynamic simulation in the free molecular regime. The Langevin equation was used for tracking each particle making up an aggregate. A periodic boundary condition was used for calculation of the aggregation process in each cell with 500 primary particles of 16 nm in diameter. We considered the thermal force and the electrostatic force for the calculation of the particle motion. The electrostatic force on a particle in the simulation cell was considered as a sum of electrostatic forces from other particles in the original cell and its replicate cells. We assumed that the electric charges accumulated on an aggregate were located on its center of mass, and aggregates were only charged with pre-charged primary particles. The morphological shape of aggregates was described in terms of the fractal dimension. In the simulation, the fractal dimension for the uncharged aggregate was D$\_$f/ = 1.761. The fractal dimension changed slightly for the various amounts of bipolar charge. However, in case of unipolar charge, the fractal dimension decreased from 1.641 to 1.537 with the increase of the average number of charges on the particles from 0.2 to 0.3 in initial states. In the bipolar charge state, the average sizes of aggregates were larger than that of the uncharged state in the early and middle stages of aggregation process, but were almost the same as the case of the uncharged state in the final stage. On the other hand, in the unipolar charge state, the average size of aggregates and the dispersion of particle volume decreased with the increasing of the charge quantities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.108-109
• /
• 2013

Mitochondria play key roles in the production of cell's energy. Their dominant function is the synthesis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and phosphate (Pi) through the oxidative phosphorylation. Evaluation of drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity has become increasingly important since mitochondrial dysfunction has recently been implicated in numerous diseases including cancer and diabetes mellitus. Mitochondrial functions have been monitored via oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, and more importantly via ATP synthesis since ATP synthesis is the most essential function of mitochondria. Various analytical methods have been employed to investigate ATP synthesis in mitochondria, including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), bioluminescence technique, and pH measurement. However, most of these methods are based on destructive analysis or indirect monitoring through the enzymatic reaction. Infrared absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) is one of the useful techniques for real-time, label-free, and direct monitoring of biological reactions [1,2]. However, the strong water absorption requires very short path length in the order of several micrometers. Transmission measurements with thin path length are not suitable for mitochondrial assays because solution handlings necessary for evaluating mitochondrial toxicity, such as rapid mixing of drugs and oxygen supply, are difficult in such a narrow space. On the other hand, IRAS in the multiple internal reflection (MIR) geometry provides an ideal optical configuration to combine solution handling and aqueous-phase measurement. We have recently reportedon a real-time monitoring of drug-induced necrotic and apoptotic cell death using MIR-IRAS [3,4]. Clear discrimination between viable and damaged cells has been demonstrated, showing a promise as a label-free and real-time detection for cell-based assays. In the present study, we have applied our MIR-IRAS system to mitochondria-based assays by monitoring ATP synthesis in isolated mitochondria from rat livers. Mitochondrial ATP synthesis and hydrolysis were in situ monitored with MIR-IRAS, while dissolved oxygen level and solution pH were simultaneously monitored with O2 and pH electrodes, respectively. It is demonstrated that ATP synthesis and hydrolysis can be monitored by the IR spectral changes in phosphate groups in adenine nucleotides and MIR-IRAS is useful for evaluating time-dependent drug effects of mitochondrial toxicants.