• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.498-508
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• 2021

Micro reactors are increasingly being considered for utilization as distributed power sources. Hence, the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) of a direct supercritical-CO₂-cooled fast reactor, called micro modular reactor (MMR), was performed in this study; this reactor was developed using innovative design concepts. It adopted a modular design and passive safety systems to minimize site constraints. As the MMR is in its conceptual design phase, design weaknesses and valuable safety insights could be identified during PSA. Level 1 internal event PSA was carried out involving literature survey, system characterization, identification of initiating events, transient analyses, development of event trees and fault trees, and quantification. The initiating events and scenarios significantly contributing to core damage frequency (CDF) were determined to identify design weaknesses in MMR. The most significant initiating event category contributing to CDF was the transients with the power conversion system initially available category, owing to its relatively high occurrence frequency. Further, an importance analysis revealed that the safety of MMR can be significantly improved by improving the reliability of reactor trip and passive decay heat removal system operation. The findings presented in this paper are expected to contribute toward future applications of PSA for assessing unconventional nuclear reactors in their conceptual design phases.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.2812-2820
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• 2020

House load operation (HLO) occurs when the generator supplies power to the house load without triggering reactor trips during grid disturbances. In Korea, the HLO capability of optimized power reactor 1000 (OPR1000) plants has prevented several reactor trips. Operational experiences demonstrate the difference in the reactor trip incidence due to grid disturbances between OPR1000 plants and Westinghouse plants in Korea, attributable to the availability of the HLO capability. However, probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) for OPR1000 plants have not considered their specific design features in the initiating event analyses. In an at-power PSA, the HLO capability can affect the initiating event frequencies of general transients (GTRN) and loss of offsite power (LOOP), resulting from transients within the grid system. The initiating event frequencies of GTRN and LOOP for an OPR1000 plant are reduced by 17.7% and 78.7%, respectively, compared to the Korean industry-average initiating event frequencies, and its core damage frequency from internal events is reduced by 15.2%. The explicit consideration of the HLO capability in initiating event analyses makes significant changes in the risk contributions of the initiating events. Consequently, for more realistic at-power PSAs in Korea, we recommend incorporating plant-specific HLO-related design features when estimating initiating event frequencies.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.461-470
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• 2018

The frequency of extreme weather events was analyzed using meteorological data (air temperature, precipitation, and duration of sunshine) collected from 61 stations over a 36-year span (1981-2016). The 10-day meteorological data were used as a basic unit for this analysis. On average, the frequency of occurrence of abnormal weather was 9.88 per year and has increased significantly during this 36-year period. According to the type of abnormal weather, the frequencies of occurrence of abnormally high air temperature and short duration of sunshine have increased by 0.50 and 0.41 per 10 years, respectively; however, that for abnormally low air temperature has decreased by 0.31 per 10 years and the trend was statistically significant. The highest frequency of abnormal weather appeared in 2007, with a frequency of 14.31. Abnormal weather was the most frequent at Yeongdeok station with an average frequency of 11.78 per year over this 36-year span.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.389-404
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• 2019

In coastal regions, it is common to witness significant damages on low-rise buildings caused by hurricanes and other extreme wind events. These damages start at high pressure zones or weak building components, and then cascade to other building parts. The state-of-the-art in experimental and numerical aerodynamic load evaluation is to assume buildings with intact envelopes where wind acts only on the external walls and correct for internal pressure through separate aerodynamic studies. This approach fails to explain the effect of openings on (i) the external pressure, (ii) internal partition walls; and (iii) the load sharing between internal and external walls. During extreme events, non-structural components (e.g., windows, doors or rooftiles) could fail allowing the wind flow to enter the building, which can subject the internal walls to lateral loads that potentially can exceed their load capacities. Internal walls are typically designed for lower capacities compared to external walls. In the present work, an anticipated damage development scenario is modelled for a four-story building with a stepped gable roof. LES is used to examine the change in the internal and external wind flows for different level of assumed damages (starting from an intact building up to a case with failure in most windows and doors are observed). This study demonstrates that damages in non-structural components can increase the wind risk on the structural elements due to changes in the loading patterns. It also highlights the load sharing mechanisms in low rise buildings.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.626-630
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• 2019

After several significant nuclear accidents, public attitudes toward nuclear energy technologies and facilities are considered to be one of the essential factors in the national energy and electricity policy-making process of several nations that employ nuclear energy as their key energy resource. However, it is difficult to explore and capture such an attitude, because the majority of prior studies analyzed public attitudes with a limited number of respondents and fragmentary opinion polls. In order to supplement this point, this study suggests a big data analyzing method with K-LIWC (Korean-Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count), sentiment and query analysis methods, and investigates public attitudes, positive and negative emotional statements about nuclear energy with the collected data sets of well-known social media and network services in Korea over time. Results show that several events and accidents related to nuclear energy have consistent or temporary effects on the attitude and ratios of the statements, depending on the kind of events and accidents. The presented methodology and the use of big data in relation to the energy industry is suggested as it can be helpful in addressing and exploring public attitudes. Based on the results, implications, limitations, and future research areas are presented.

• Journal of Coastal Disaster Prevention
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.203-210
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• 2018

It is generally known that submerged breakwaters can reduce the incoming wave energy without disturbing the beach scenery. However, a submerged breakwater is also able to cause a setup of the sea level in the protected area which is also called as water piling-up. Since the piling-up can result in longshore currents, sediment transports, and unexpected beach erosion, understanding about the piling-up process is required prior to designing the nearshore structures. In this study, the water piling-up behind a submerged breakwater is assessed in the time of storm events. For the study area, Anmok beach in Gyeonso-dong, Gangwon-do is selected. 1-year, 5-year, 10-year, and 50-year return-values were derived from Peaks-Over-Threshold(POT) method and those are applied as offshore boundary conditions for the numerical simulation. The numerical results of the piling-up were assessed with regard to the wave steepness and the height of the submerged breakwater. With increase of both significant wave height and the height of the submerged breakwater, the piling-up parameter is also increased which can lead to erosion of dry beach behind the structure.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2021

Purpose: Data on the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and brief resolved unexplained events (BRUE) in infants is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of combined multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH) monitoring in infants who have experienced BRUE. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of infants who were hospitalized on account of BRUE and required 24-hour MII-pH monitoring. Results: Twenty-one infants (mean age, 4.7 months; range, 0.9-8.9 months; male/female, 11/10) participated in this study. BRUE symptoms associated with GER were found in 10 infants (47.6%). Based on the RI on pH-metry alone, only 7 (33.3%) infants were diagnosed with GERD. More than 100 GER episodes detected by MII were found in 10 (47.6%) infants. Nineteen percent of infants were diagnosed with GERD based on both pH and MII. Conclusion: Both acid and non-acid reflux seem to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of GER-related BRUE in infants.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.19-31
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• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the difference between teachers' traumatic experience and teachers' organizational commitment while considering individual differences of the childcare teachers and to investigate the effect of childcare teachers' traumatic experience on organizational commitment. Methods: This study used an online survey and collected data from 235 respondents. Then the data were analyzed by using a one-way ANOVA test, Scheffe post-hoc analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis. Results: First, this study found that there was a statistically significant difference between the traumatic experience of childcare teachers and teachers' organizational commitment depending on the age and career stage of the childcare teachers. Second, the childcare experience of childcare teachers showed a positive correlation with experience, and the traumatic experience showed a negative correlation with the organizational commitment. Third, childcare teachers' traumatic experience had a negative effect on normative and continuous immersion, respectively. Conclusion/Implications: This study contributes to the literature by recognizing the events that occurred in the process of childcare and identified the cause of the decrease in childcare teachers' motivation to work. It also suggests the need for continuous research on traumatic events that childcare teachers' experience during work in order to protect the rights and interests of childcare teachers.

• Journal of Koreanology Reviews
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2023

This research aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the history of private education in Korea. By delving into the historical aspects of private education, this study aims to uncover key developments, trends, and transformations that have shaped the private education landscape in Korea. By understanding the historical trajectory of private education in Korea, educational practitioners can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and potential areas for improvement within the private education industry. The literature analysis has shown that there are four significant historical events for developing private education industry in South Korea. First, Japanese colonial period and its Impact on private education in Korea background and context. Second, education reforms in the 1960s and the rise of hagwons in Korea background and context. Third, the role and impact of private education on the Korean education system. Fourth, Education reforms in the 21st Century and the regulation of private education background and context. In sum, this research provides a comprehensive evaluation of the history of private education in Korea, examining four key historical events and their impact on the private education landscape. The findings reveal important insights into private education's development, role, and impact in Korea.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.309-316
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• 2024

The treatment of obesity and its comorbidities ranges from clinical management involving lifestyle changes and medications to bariatric and metabolic surgery. Various endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies recently emerged to address an important therapeutic gap by offering a less invasive alternative to surgery that is more effective than conservative therapies. This article comprehensively reviews the technical aspects, mechanism of action, outcomes, and future perspectives of one of the most promising endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies, named duodenojejunal bypass liner. The duodenojejunal bypass liner mimics the mechanism of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass by preventing food contact with the duodenum and proximal jejunum, thereby initiating a series of hormonal changes that lead to delayed gastric emptying and malabsorptive effects. These physiological changes result in significant weight loss and improved metabolic control, leading to better glycemic levels, preventing dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and mitigating cardiovascular risk. However, concern exists regarding the safety profile of this device due to the reported high rates of severe adverse events, particularly liver abscesses. Ongoing technical changes aiming to reduce adverse events are being evaluated in clinical trials and may provide more reliable data to support its routine use in clinical practice.