• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1997

The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of embryo cell stage at 18h post-fusion and oocyte preactivation on sebsequent in vitro developmental potential in the nuclear transplant rabbit embryos. The embryos of 16-cell stage were collected and synchronized to G$_1$ phase of 32-cell stage. The recipient cytoplasms were obtained by removing the first polar body and chromosome rnass from the oocytes collected by non-dis-ruptive microsurgery procedure. The separated G$_1$ phase blastomeres of 32-cell stage were injected into non-preactivated recipient cytoplasms. Otherwise, the enucleated recipient cytoplasms were preactivated by electrical stimulation at 18h post-hCG injection and the separated G$_1$ phase blastomeres of 32-cell stage were injected. Mter culture until 20h post-hOG injection, the nuclear transplant oocytes were electrofused by electrical stimulation. The fused nuclear transplant embryos were classified into 3~4-cell, 2-cell and 1-cell stage at 18 hrs post-fusion and cultured until the embryos reached blastocyst stage. The developmental rate to blastocyst stage was significantly (P <0.05) higher in all the reconstituted embryos of 3~4-cell stage(58.0%) than in 2 and icell stage. The developmental rate to blastocyst stage in the embryos of 3~4-cell stage at 18 hrs post-fusion was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the reconstituted without oocyte preactivation(77.8%) than in the oocyte-preactivated embryos (33.3%). These results indicated that the higher rate of in the in vitro development to blastocyst stage might be obtained form the embryos which were reconstituted with nuclear donor of G$_1$ phase and non-preactivated oocyte, and developed more rapidly for 18 hrs post-fusion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.41-46
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• 2011

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the causes of accidents related to the 3 phase 170 kV gas insulated switchgear of a power system collected from accident sites to secure data for the prevention of similar accidents and provide important points of view regarding diagnosis for the prevention of accidents involving gas insulated switchgears. The analysis results of the causes of accidents involving gas insulated switchgears showed deformation of the manipulation lever installed at the S-phase, disconnection of the insulation rod connection, melting of the upper conductor, a damaged tulip, damage to the lower spacer and the spacer at the breaker, etc. It is believed from this result that the potential for accidents has expanded due to accumulated energy as a result of repeated deterioration. The carbonization depth of a GIS was formed near the screw (T2, T3) used to secure the lower pole of the S-phase tulip. It is not known what has caused the screws to be extruded and melted. However, it is thought that an unbalanced electromagnetic force, micro-discharge, surface discharge, etc., have occurred at that point. In addition, even though 16 years have passed since its installation, there was no installation defect, act of arson, accidental fire, etc. General periodical inspection and diagnosis failed to find the factors causing the accidents. As a system contained in a closed metal container, it has a high risk factor. Therefore, it is necessary to design, install and operate a GIS in accordance with the standard operational procedure (SOP). In addition, it is necessary to apply conversion technology for periodical SF6 gas analysis and precision safety diagnosis. It is expected that tracking and managing these changes in characteristics by recording the results on the history card will provide a significant accident prevention effect.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.297-304
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• 2019

In this research, crack propagation in a silicon anode during two-phase lithiation was evaluated using a cohesive zone model. The phase transition from crystalline silicon to lithiated silicon causes compressive yielding due to the high volume expansion rate. Li-ion diffuses from the surface of the silicon to its core, and the complex deformation mechanisms during lithiation cause tensile hoop stress along the surface. The Park-Paulino-Roesler (PPR) potential-based cohesive zone model that guarantees consistent energy dissipation in mixed-mode fracture was adopted to simulate edge crack propagation. It was confirmed that the edge crack propagation characteristics during lithiation from the FEM simulation results coincided with the real experimental results. Crack turning observed from real experiments could also be predicted by evaluating the angles of maximum tensile stress directions.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.223-230
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• 2018

Exosomes are Nano-sized lipid vesicles secreted from mammalian cells containing diverse cellular materials such as proteins, lipids, and nucleotides. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that in saliva, exosomes and their contents such as microRNAs (miRNAs) mediate numerous cellular responses upon delivery to recipient cells. The objective of this study was to characterize the different expression profile of exosomal miRNAs in saliva samples, periodically isolated from a single periodontitis patient. Unstimulated saliva was collected from a single patient over time periods for managing periodontitis. MicroRNAs extracted from each phase were investigated for the expression of exosomal miRNAs. Salivary exosomal miRNAs were analyzed using Affymetrix miRNA arrays and prediction of target genes and pathways for its different expression performed using DIANA-mirPath, a web-based, computational tool. Following the delivery of miRNA mimics (hsa-miR-4487, -4532, and -7108-5p) into human gingival fibroblasts, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of the MAPK pathway were evaluated through RT-PCR and western blotting. In each phase, 13 and 43 miRNAs were found to be differently expressed $({\mid}FC{\mid}{\geq}2)$. Among these, hsa-miR-4487 $({\mid}FC{\mid}=9.292005)$ and has-miR-4532 $({\mid}FC{\mid}=18.322697)$ were highly up-regulated in the clinically severe phase, whereas hsa-miR-7108-5p $({\mid}FC{\mid}=12.20601)$ was strongly up-regulated in the clinically mild phase. In addition, the overexpression of miRNA mimics in human gingival fibroblasts resulted in a significant induction of IL-6 mRNA expression and p38 phosphorylation. The findings of this study established alterations in salivary exosomal miRNAs which are dependent on the severity of periodontitis and may act as potential candidates for the treatment of oral inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.133-145
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• 2018

Medical systems incurred accidents may result in significant damage for human being. Therefore, performing hazard analysis is important for medical system which is to identify hazard for preventing the accidents and minimizing the potential harm. Hazard analysis that is applied medical systems are difficult to apposite selected, because difference of analysis methods and applied development lifecycle is caused by objective of hazard analysis. It is required to select appropriate hazard analysis at concept phase during development lifecycle, owing to basic requirement elicitation to mitigate or prevent hazard based on identified hazard at concept phase. In this paper, hazard analysis methods, PHA and STPA, are compared at concept phase in which both methods have been applied on the medical system. As a result of compared methods, hazard analyst can be selected optimized hazard analysis methods for concept phase of the medical systems.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.80-91
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• 2022

Objective : Hospital workers' mental health has deteriorated because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of hospital workers and its determinants. Methods : Two surveys were conducted among employees working in a hospital that received COVID-19 patients from the early phase of the pandemic in South Korea. Data on demographics, perceived threat, workplace evaluation, resilience, and mental health status were collected using the Korean General Health Questionnaire-20 in the initial phase (February 2020) and during the third wave of COVID-19 (December 2020) for 467 and 545 workers, respectively. The mental health of hospital workers in the two phases was compared, and the risk and protective factors during the third wave were investigated. Results : The proportion of patients in the psychiatric high-risk group increased from 2.8% in the initial phase to 11.4% during the third wave. The perceived threat, workplace evaluation, and resilience of respondents deteriorated. Risk factors for mental health during the third wave included the perceived threat items of job stress, loss of control, and considering resignation. Protective factors included presence of children, workplace satisfaction, and hardiness in resilience. Conclusion : Hospital workers' mental health deteriorated as the pandemic progressed. General stress and tension such as job stress, loss of control, considering resignation rather than COVID-19-specific stress had negative effects on mental health of hospital workers. Therefore, care for work stress itself can be helpful to maintain the mental health of hospital workers. Also, governance to improve workplace satisfaction or hardiness in resilience can be a potential protective factor for hospital workers' mental health during the prolonged pandemic.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.161-173
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• 2023

This study investigated the effects of K_N and process time on the formation of a compound layer at a nitriding temperature of 540℃ for SCR420H material. As a result of controlled nitriding from 3 h to 20 h at K_N 1.2 atm^-1/2, compound layers were formed up to about 10 ㎛, and an effective hardening depth of about 460 ㎛ was obtained. Initially, an ε+γ' complex phase was formed, and the phase fraction changed over time, and finally, the fraction of ε phase decreased to less than 1%. With higher K_N, the compound thickness increased, a pore layer was formed on the surface, and the surface hardness decreased. By applying the controlled nitriding process, it was possible to produce annulus gears with a compound thickness of 12.8 ㎛ and an ε phase of 5% or less. The annulus gears made through controlled nitriding were mounted on a 6-speed transmission and tested for durability. As a result, the durability test of 250,000 km was satisfied, and the transmission efficiency was also confirmed to be expected.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2024

Membranes are increasingly used in a variety of applications including desalination, gas separation, disposable filters, and healthcare products. Recently, sustainable and green membrane fabrication technology is recognized as one of the decisive initiatives to reach the target of pollution control. Especially, the fabrication of bio-based membranes using such as poly lactic acid (PLA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and polybutylene succinate (PBS) has attracted considerable attention. The phase inversion method is one of the versatile approaches for preparing PLA membranes. This article reviews the recent advances in PLA membrane preparation via the phase inversion method. Furthermore, it provides a perspective on the potential outlook for future advances. Overall, this review has demonstrated has been conducted in the area of bio-based PLA membranes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2024

Cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) and austenitic stainless steel weldments with a ferrite-austenite duplex structure are widely used in nuclear power plants, incorporating ferrite phase to enhance strength, stress relief, and corrosion resistance. Thermal aging at 290-325℃ can induce embrittlement, primarily due to spinodal decomposition and G-phase precipitation in the ferrite phase. This study evaluates the effects of thermal aging by collecting and analyzing various mechanical properties, such as Charpy impact energy, ferrite microhardness, and tensile strength, from various literature sources. Different model expressions, including hyperbolic tangent and phase transformation equations, are applied to calculate activation energy (Q) of room-temperature impact energies, and the results are compared. Additionally, predictive models for Q based on material composition are evaluated, and the potential of machine learning techniques for improving prediction accuracy is explored. The study also examines the use of ferrite microhardness and tensile strength in calculating Q and assessing thermal embrittlement. The findings provide insights for developing advanced prediction models for the thermal embrittlement behavior of CASS and the weldments of austenitic steels, contributing to the safety and reliability of nuclear power plant components.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.185-202
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• 2024

In this research paper, and for the first time, wave propagations in sigmoidal imperfect functionally graded material plates are investigated using a simplified quasi-three-dimensionally higher shear deformation theory (Quasi-3D HSDTs). By employing an indeterminate integral for the transverse displacement in the shear components, the number of unknowns and governing equations in the current theory is reduced, thereby simplifying its application. Consequently, the present theories exhibit five fewer unknown variables compared to other Quasi-3D theories documented in the literature, eliminating the need for any correction coefficients as seen in the first shear deformation theory. The material properties of the functionally graded plates smoothly vary across the cross-section according to a sigmoid power law. The plates are considered imperfect, indicating a pore distribution throughout their thickness. The distribution of porosities is categorized into two types: even or uneven, with linear (L)-Type, exponential (E)-Type, logarithmic (Log)-Type, and Sinus (S)-Type distributions. The current quasi-3D shear deformation theories are applied to formulate governing equations for determining wave frequencies, and phase velocities are derived using Hamilton's principle. Dispersion relations are assumed as an analytical solution, and they are applied to obtain wave frequencies and phase velocities. A comprehensive parametric study is conducted to elucidate the influences of wavenumber, volume fraction, thickness ratio, and types of porosity distributions on wave propagation and phase velocities of the S-FGM plate. The findings of this investigation hold potential utility for studying and designing techniques for ultrasonic inspection and structural health monitoring.