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Bone Cement-Augmented Short Segment Fixation with Percutaneous Screws for Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures Accompanied by Severe Osteoporosis

  • Jung, Hyun Jin;Kim, Seok Won;Ju, Chang Il;Kim, Sung Hoon;Kim, Hyen Sung
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.353-358
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    • 2012
  • Objective : The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of bone cement-augmented short segment fixation using percutaneous screws for thoracolumbar burst fractures in a background of severe osteoporosis. Methods : Sixteen patients with a single-level thoracolumbar burst fracture (T11-L2) accompanying severe osteoporosis treated from January 2008 to November 2009 were prospectively analyzed. Surgical procedures included postural reduction for 3 days and bone cement augmented percutaneous screw fixation at the fracture level and at adjacent levels without bone fusion. Due to the possibility of implant failure, patients underwent implant removal 12 months after screw fixation. Imaging and clinical findings, including involved vertebral levels, local kyphosis, canal encroachment, and complications were analyzed. Results : Prior to surgery, mean pain score (visual analogue scale) was 8.2 and this decreased to a mean of 2.2 at 12 months after screw fixation. None of the patients complained of pain worsening during the 6 months following implant removal. The percentage of canal compromise at the fractured level improved from a mean of 41.0% to 18.4% at 12 months after surgery. Mean kyphotic angle was improved significantly from $19.8^{\circ}$ before surgery to 7.8 at 12 months after screw fixation. Canal compromise and kyphotic angle improvements were maintained at 6 months after implant removal. No significant neurological deterioration or complications occurred after screw removal in any patient. Conclusion : Bone cement augmented short segment fixation using a percutaneous system can be an alternative to the traditional open technique for the management of selected thoracolumbar burst fractures accompanied by severe osteoporosis.

EXPERIMENTS ON THE PERFORMANCE SENSITIVITY OF THE PASSIVE RESIDUAL HEAT REMOVAL SYSTEM OF AN ADVANCED INTEGRAL TYPE REACTOR

  • Park, Hyun-Sik;Choi, Ki-Yong;Choi, Seok;Yi, Sung-Jae;Park, Choon-Kyung;Chung, Moon-Ki
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.53-62
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    • 2009
  • A set of experiments has been conducted on the performance sensitivity of the passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS) for an advanced integral type reactor, SMART, by using a high temperature and high pressure thermal-hydraulic test facility, the VISTA facility. In this paper the effects of the opening delay of the PRHRS bypass valves and the closing delay of the secondary system isolation valves, and the initial water level and the initial pressure of the compensating tank (CT) are investigated. During the reference test a stable flow occurs in a natural circulation loop that is composed of a steam generator secondary side, a secondary system, and a PRHRS; this is ascertained by a repetition test. When the PRHRS bypass valves are operated 10 seconds later than the secondary system isolation valves, the primary system is not properly cooled. When the secondary system isolation valves are operated 10 or 30 seconds later than the PRHRS bypass valves, the primary system is effectively cooled but the inventory of the PRHRS CT is drained earlier. As the initial water level of the CT is lowered to 16% of the full water level, the water is quickly drained and then nitrogen gas is introduced into the PRHRS, resulting in the deterioration of the PRHRS performance. When the initial pressure of the PRHRS is at 0.1MPa, the natural circulation is not performed properly. When the initial pressures of the PRHRS are 2.5 or 3.5 MPa, they show better performance than did the reference test.

Bone Cement-Augmented Percutaneous Screw Fixation for Malignant Spinal Metastases : Is It Feasible?

  • Kim, Pius;Kim, Seok Won
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.60 no.2
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    • pp.189-194
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    • 2017
  • Objective : We evaluated the validity of bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation for treating malignant spinal metastases. Methods : Between 2011 and 2015, 14 patients (eight men and six women) who underwent bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation for malignant spinal metastases were enrolled in this study. Their life expectancy was considered to be more than one month and less than one year, based on the revised Tokuhashi scoring system. Clinical findings including the back pain scale score, functional outcome, procedure related complications, and survival were assessed preoperatively, postoperatively, and then six months after the procedure. Results : Twelve of the patients (86%) survived up to six months after the procedure. Three required mini-open decompressive laminectomy for severe epidural compression. Bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation was performed one level above, one level below, and at the pathologic level itself. The mean operation time was 60 minutes (45-180) and blood loss was less than 100 mL. Prior to surgery, the mean pain score on the visual analogue scale was 8.8, while one month after the procedure, it had reduced to 3.0; this improvement was maintained until the six-month assessment in the surviving patients. All patients were able to sit within the first two days after surgery, and no patient experienced neurological deterioration at the one-month follow up after the surgery. No patient experienced screw loosening during the six months of follow-up. Asymptomatic cement leakage into the epidural space was observed in two patients, but no major complications were observed. Conclusion : For selected patients with malignant spinal metastases, bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation can provide significant pain relief and improve quality of life.

Design and Implementation of an Application Level Mobile Server for On-the-site Oriented Services (현장 중심 서비스를 위한 응용레벨 모바일 서버의 설계 및 구현)

  • Kim, Seonil;Jung, Jinman;Yoon, Young-Sun;Eun, Seongbae;So, Sun Sup;Cha, Shin
    • Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.358-368
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    • 2018
  • The mobile characteristics of the smart phone are well suited to on-the-site oriented services and are being utilized in a variety of ways. However, since most applications operate on a central server basis, Internet access is inevitable, and there are various problems such as an increase in server maintenance cost and security deterioration. Although researches have been proposed to utilize the smart phone itself as a server to improve it, these methods are based on downsizing the PC-based web server or modifying the smart phone kernel. These methods have the problems that a end user has to use the rooting, and they are not able to effectively utilize various communication means of a smart phone. In this paper, we propose a design and implementation of an application level smart phone web server. The server receives the document request from the remote via the Internet and in the local area using the WPAN. At this time, the web document is stored as an internal file structure of the smart phone application. We proposed the phttp protocol which uses server's phone number as ID for document request. Through the implementation, we analyzed the capacity and latency of stored data and its effectiveness is evaluated.

Assessment and Analysis of Maintenance Level According to Actual Prediction on the Main Infrastructures of North Korea (북한 주요 인프라 실태 예측에 의한 유지관리 수준 분석 및 평가)

  • Lee, Jeong-Seok
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.22 no.5
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    • pp.39-46
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    • 2018
  • After the North-South Korean summit and PyeongChang Winter Olympics, it is recently expected that the North-South economic cooperation plan will be discussed in earnest. And it will be growing interest of the major infrastructure facilities such as roads and railways, and so on North-South Korean. Moreover, most of North Korean facilities have problems related to the safety and functionality of them such as aging, deterioration, and poor maintenance. This study asserts the necessity and importance of infrastructure maintenance in the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, Results of this study, it is appeared that very vulnerable to road, railroad, power/communication, water sewage and needed urgently for improvement. Accordingly, The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status for the whole facilities including the main infrastructure of the North Korean and to evaluate on the maintenance level of infrastructure based on face to face interview refugees of North Korean.

Changes of Toxicological Factors in Rats Short-Term Treated with Two Feeding Methods at Low Level of Microcystin-LR (저농도의 Microcystin-LR를 단기간 처리한 흰쥐에서 투여방법에 따른 독성 지표의 변화)

  • 함영국;김성완
    • Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.209-217
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    • 2003
  • To investigate the effects of low dosed microcystin -LR (MCLR) on the initial stage of subacute hepatotoxicity in vivo, male Sprague-Dawley rats after weanling were divided in four groups. The orally treated group (OG) was administered orally by 1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg B.W. at an interval of three days. The free group (FG) has taken the drinking water including 1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L freely and the control group (CC) was only treated with 0.9% saline solution All groups were treated for a period of 3 weeks. There was a significant correlation in body growth rate between OG and FC and especially, a deterioration of the growth of spleen was observed in the FG after 5 days. The protein levels were also decreased in OG and FG after 9 days. Level of total fat was increased to the 9th day but again decreased up to the initial level. High hemolysis of the isolated erythrocytes occurred only in OG. Activities of ${\gamma}$-G7 of 0G and FG were higher twice-fold than CG, but the values of OG were already higher at the first treatment day. No significant change in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity was shown in all groups, but the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was slightly increased at the beginning state. There were much similarities in the results of OG and FG. except the growth inhibition of spleen in FG. It may be concluded that long -term effects of the low doses of mycrocystins in animals including human being can lead to serious health problems, especially to liver and spleen.

A Public and Environmental Economic Analysis of Management Aspects and Institutional Management Framework of Marine Recreational Fisheries (해양낚시(해양유어)의 제도적 관리 타당성에 관한 공공경제학 및 환경경제학적 분석연구)

  • 이상고
    • The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.137-156
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    • 2003
  • Increasingly, leisure time is being used for outdoor recreational activities, and fishing is one of the principal forms of marine recreation. Marine recreational fishing is a popular activity in Korea and this activity has led to the development of a sector of substantial social and economic value. Also it is considered as one of the important outdoor leisure industries in Korea. With rising of income level and development of marine outdoor leisure industries, social, economic demand increase of marine recreational fishing are showing us new advance ability of marine aquatic bio-industry. However the recreational use of fish stocks has become an important consideration in the public and environmental economic analysis of management aspect of fishing, having grown considerably over recent years to reach a level in Korea where the fish stocks and coastal ecosystem has become a significant management problem. we are inevitably facing marine environmental deterioration and overfishing in marine recreational fishing. In this study, not only resources and environmental problems which are occurred by recreational fishers, but also illegal fishing behaviors and other problems such as market's failure are going to analyze basic management theories and methods of recreational fishing through mathematical principals and economic rents which maximize net social benefits. In view of the likelihood of marine recreational fishers adopting high rates of discount, the conservation of fish resources would appear to require continual public surveillance and control of the physical yield and condition of the fish stocks and the optimal use level. The institutional management of recreational fisheries is the way of escaping the collapse of recreational fisheries just like as the situation of management's failure of commercial fisheries worldwide. One of the effective management measure is a license system. In this system, optimal fee is paid by recreational fishers, which prevent them from overfishing, environmental problems to some extents and carry out the optimal number of outings. And money obtained by license fee should be spent for more improvement fishing culture and welfare for marine recreational fishing. Marine recreational fishing is to be promoted under sound conservation and management principles.

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A Study on the Socio-economic Characteristics of Magnetic Resonance Image(MRI) Uses in Korea (우리나라 MRI 이용의 사회경제적 특성)

  • 김루시아;문옥륜
    • Health Policy and Management
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.194-220
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    • 1992
  • In recent years there has been a rapid influx of high cost MRI equipment into Korea. This diffusion has raised concerns about the changes it will bring for the health care utilization. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify socio-economic characteristics of MRI uses in Korea. A structured questionnaire was designed for this purpose, and 1, 091 users were surveyed at the 35 MRI units of 33 hospitals during a week, sometimes March 1992. The study reveals that high cost technology such as MRI, CT scanner is so prevalent in Korea. This is particularly the case in metropolitan areas. Among others, Seoul has the highest percentage of MRI equipment, 51.05%, Pusan 12.10% and Kwangju 11.9%. Unfortunately, most high cost technology equipments are foreign products. Thus, hospitals with such a high cost technology have difficulties in maintenance of the equipment. The average performance of MRI equipment has declined from 10.2 cases per day in 1988 to 7.16 cases in March 1992. Due to the rapid increase, the performance of MRI equipment seems to be deterioration. Male usere are dominant in the case of MRI use. The utilization rate has positively increased with the rise of educational level of users. The same is true for the level of income; the MRI utilization rate by income level shows that it is negatively proportional to income, which indicates that the poor have difficulties in the use of high cost technology. Particularly, the cost of MRI is so high that ordinary patients are unable to pay for it. For example, 86.3% of respondents have answered that the cost is too high even though they are insured by health insurance. This is the first empirical study on the use status of MRI. The information obtained in this study is sufficient to maintain that the Korean health insurance programme is urgently in need of improving the insurance benefit schemes. The easiest way to do this is to include provision of high cost technology service into the benefit package.

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Expandable Cage for Cervical Spine Reconstruction

  • Zhang, Ho-Yeol;Thongtrangan, Issada;Le, Hoang;Park, Jon;Kim, Daniel H.
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.38 no.6
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    • pp.435-441
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    • 2005
  • Objective : Expandable cage used for spinal reconstruction after corpectomy has several advantages over nonexpendable cages. Here we present our clinical experience with the use of this cage after anterior column corpectomy with an average of one year follow up. Methods : Ten patients underwent expandable cage reconstruction of the anterior column after single-level or multilevel corpectomy for various cervical spinal disorders. Anterior plating with or without additional posterior instrumentation were performed in all patients. Functional outcomes, complications, and radiographic outcomes were determined. Results : There was no cage-related complication. Functionally, neurological examination revealed improvement in 7 of 10 patients and no patient had neurological deterioration after the surgery. Immediate stability was achieved and maintained throughout the period of follow-up. There was minimal subsidence [<2mm] noticeable in three of the cases that underwent a two-level corpectomy. Subsidence was noted in osteoporotic patients and patients undergoing multi-level corpectomies. Average pre-operative kyphotic angle was 9 degrees. This was corrected to an average of 5.4 degrees in lordosis postoperatively. Conclusion : In conclusion, expandable cages are safe and effective devices for vertebral body replacement after cervical corpectomy when used in combination with anterior plating with or without additional posterior stabilization. The advantages of using expandable cages include its ability to easily accommodate itself into the corpectomy defect, its ability to tightly purchase into the end plates after expansion and thus minimizing the potential for migration, and finally, its ability to correct kyphosis deformity via its in vivo expansion properties.

Design and Implementation of an Indoor Particulate Matter and Noise Monitoring System (실내 미세먼지 및 소음 모니터링 시스템 설계 및 구현)

  • Cho, Hyuntae
    • IEMEK Journal of Embedded Systems and Applications
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    • v.17 no.1
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    • pp.9-17
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    • 2022
  • As the COVID-19 pandemic situation worsens, the time spent indoors increases, and the exposure to indoor environmental pollution such as indoor air pollution and noise also increases, causing problems such as deterioration of human health, stress, and discord between neighbors. This paper designs and implements a system that measures and monitors indoor air quality and noise, which are representative evaluation criteria of the indoor environment. The system proposed in this paper consists of a particulate matter measurement subsystem that measures and corrects the concentration of particulate matters to monitor indoor air quality, and a noise measurement subsystem that detects changes in sound and converts it to a sound pressure level. The concentration of indoor particulate matters is measured using a laser-based light scattering method, and an error caused by temperature and humidity is compensated in this paper. For indoor noise measurement, the voltage measured through a microphone is basically measured, Fourier transform is performed to classify it by frequency, and then A-weighting is performed to correct loudness equality. Then, the RMS value is obtained, high-frequency noise is removed by performing time-weighting, and then SPL is obtained. Finally, the equivalent noise level for 1 minute and 5 minutes are calculated to show the indoor noise level. In order to classify noise into direct impact sound and air transmission noise, a piezo vibration sensors is mounted to determine the presence or absence of direct impact transmitted through the wall. For performance evaluation, the error of particulate matter measurement is analyzed through TSI's AM510 instrument. and compare the noise error with CEM's noise measurement system.