• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on clinical outcomes among high-risk patients. Methods: This retrospective study involved 1,368 patients and the same number of cycles, including 520 cycles with PGT-A and 848 cycles without PGT-A. The study participants comprised women of advanced maternal age (AMA) and those affected by recurrent implantation failure (RIF), recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), or severe male factor infertility (SMF). Results: PGT-A was associated with significant improvements in the implantation rate (IR) and the ongoing pregnancy rate/live birth rate (OPR/LBR) per embryo transfer cycle in the AMA (39.3% vs. 16.2% [p<0.001] and 42.0% vs. 21.8% [p<0.001], respectively), RIF (41.7% vs. 22.0% [p<0.001] and 47.0% vs. 28.6% [p<0.001], respectively), and RPL (45.6% vs. 19.5% [p<0.001] and 49.1% vs. 24.2% [p<0.001], respectively) groups, as well as the IR in the SMF group (43.3% vs. 26.5%, p=0.011). Additionally, PGT-A was associated with lower overall incidence rates of early pregnancy loss in the AMA (16.7% vs. 34.3%, p=0.001) and RPL (16.7% vs. 50.0%, p<0.001) groups. However, the OPR/LBR per total cycle across all PGT-A groups did not significantly exceed that for the non-PGT-A groups. Conclusion: PGT-A demonstrated beneficial effects in high-risk patients. However, our findings indicate that these benefits are more pronounced in carefully selected candidates than in the entire high-risk patient population.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2009

This study is to specify the criteria and testing methods of WHW extract which has a potency as a therapeutic agent for chronic renal failure. The determination of specifications of WHW extract is mostly important because of the quality assurance. Three batches of WHW extract were obtained by the extraction at $98^{\circ}$C for 3 hr using water from mixture of 15 herbal medicines including Codonopsis Pilosulae Radix, Salviae Radix, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Coptidis Rhizoma, Evodiae Fructus, Epimedii Herba, Rhei Rhizoma, Perillae Herba, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Artemixiae capillaris Herba, Alimatis Rhizoma, Hoelen, Atractylodies Rhizoma alba, Polyporus and Cinnamomi Ramulus, subsequently, vaccum-dried for 15 hr. The yield of WHW extracts was 24.53% on the average. The identification of each herbal medicine of WHW extract was performed by modification of Korean Pharmacopeia IX (KP IX). The assay of WHW extract was performed using standard such as berberine, icariin, glycyrrhizin, and cinnamic acid of indicative herbal medicines by modification of KP IX, too. As well as, paticle size classification test was carried out to indicate the boundary of particle size of WHW extract and the particle size of WHW extract more than 50% showed the 140 ${\mu}$m. Taken together, WHW extract could be prepared reproducibly and assurable if follows the presented extraction and drying steps and its specifications were satisfied with the indicated criteria.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.688-699
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• 2017

Model-based test, a well-known method of the black box tests, is consisted of the following four steps : model construction using requirement, test case generation from the model, execution of a SUT (software under test) and detection failures. Among models constructed in the first step, state-based models such as UML standard State Machine are commonly used to design event-based embedded systems (e.g., weapon control systems). To generate test cases from state-based models in the next step, coverage-based techniques such as state coverage and transition coverage are used. Round-trip path coverage technique using W-Method, one of coverage-based techniques, is known as more effective method than others. However it has a limitation of low failure observability because the W-Method technique terminates a testing process when arrivals meet states already visited and it is hard to decide the current state is completely same or not with the previous in the case like the GUI environment. In other words, there can exist unrevealed faults. Therefore, this study suggests a Extended W-Method. The Extended W-Method extends the round-trip path to a final state to improve failure observability. In this paper, we compare effectiveness and efficiency with requirement-item-based technique, W-Method and our Extended W-Method. The result shows that our technique can detect five and two more faults respectively and has the performance of 28 % and 42 % higher failure detection probability than the requirement-item-based and W-Method techniques, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.277-287
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• 1999

Quasi-static tests such as monotonic tension and loading/unloading tension were performed to investigate the bond characteristics and the failure processes for the T-joint specimens made from fiber/epoxy composite material. Two types of specimens, each consists of two components, e. g. skin and frame. were manufactured by co-curing and secondary bonding. During the monotonic tension test, AE instrument was used to predict AE signal at the initial and middle stage of the damage propagation. The damage initiation and progression were monitored optically using m (Charge Coupled Device) camera. And the internal crack front profile was examined using ultrasonic C-scan. The results indicate that the loads representing the abrupt increase of the AE signal are within the error range of 5 percent comparing to the loads shown in the load-time curve. Also it is shown that the initiation of crack occurred in the noodle region for both co-cured and secondarily bonded specimen. The final failure occurred in the noodle region for the co-cured specimen. but at the skin/frame termination point for the secondarily bonded specimen. Based on the results, it was found that two kinds of specimen show different failure modes depending on the manufacturing methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.368-376
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• 2005

Coolant rubber hoses for automobile radiators can be degraded and thus failed due to the influence of contacting stresses of air and coolant liquid under thermal and mechanical loadings. In this study, for EPDM(ethylene-propylene diene monomer) rubber conventionally used as a radiator hose material the aging behaviors of the skin part due to thermo-oxidative and electro-chemical stresses were nondestructively evaluated. Through the thermo-oxidative aging test, it was shown that the surface hardness IRHD(International Rubber Hardness Degrees) of the rubber increased with a considerable reduction of failure strain. On account of the penetration of coolant liquid into the skin part the weight of rubber specimens degraded by electro-chemical degradation(ECD) test increased, whereas their. failure strain and IRHD hardness decreased largely. The penetration of coolant liquid seemed to induce some changes in inner structure and micro hardness distribution of the rubbers. Consequently, EPDM rubbers degraded by thermo-oxidative aging and ECD could be characterized nondestructively by micro-hardness and chemical structure analysis methods.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.42-46
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• 1998

Miniaturized specimen technology Permits mechanical behavior to be determined using a minimum volume of material. The technology is useful in case of not collecting a large amount of materials from industrial equipments. Five kinds of accelerated degradation materials were prepared by isothermal aging heat treatment at $630^{\circ}C$. Three kinds of specimens were prepared for impact testing. In order to increase plastic constraint of subsize specimen, side-groove was introduced. Results between subsize and full size impact testing were compared. Size effects correlations were developed for the impact properties of turbine rotor material. These correlations successfully predict the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of full size Charpy impact specimens based on subsize specimen data.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.425-429
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• 2016

Objective : Rod-screw fixation systems are widely used for spinal instrumentation. Although many biomechanical studies on rod-screw systems have been carried out, but the effects of rod contouring on the construct strength is still not very well defined in the literature. This work examines the mechanical impact of straight, $20^{\circ}$ kyphotic, and $20^{\circ}$ lordotic rod contouring on rod-screw fixation systems, by forming a corpectomy model. Methods : The corpectomy groups were prepared using ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene samples. Non-destructive loads were applied during flexion/extension and torsion testing. Spine-loading conditions were simulated by load subjections of 100 N with a velocity of $5mm\;min^{-1}$, to ensure 8.4-Nm moment. For torsional loading, the corpectomy models were subjected to rotational displacement of $0.5^{\circ}\;s^{-1}$ to an end point of $5.0^{\circ}$, in a torsion testing machine. Results : Under both flexion and extension loading conditions the stiffness values for the lordotic rod-screw system were the highest. Under torsional loading conditions, the lordotic rod-screw system exhibited the highest torsional rigidity. Conclusion : We concluded that the lordotic rod-screw system was the most rigid among the systems tested and the risk of rod and screw failure is much higher in the kyphotic rod-screw systems. Further biomechanical studies should be attempted to compare between different rod kyphotic angles to minimize the kyphotic rod failure rate and to offer a more stable and rigid rod-screw construct models for surgical application in the kyphotic vertebrae.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1999

Since concrete is an inhomogeneous material consisting of larger aggregates and sand embedded in a cement paste matrix, it relatively shows a complex failure mechanism. In order to assure the reliability of concrete structure. microscopic fracture behavior and internal damage progress of concrete under the loading should be fully understood. In this study, an acoustic emission(AE) technique has been used to clarify microscopic failure mechanism and their corresponding AE signal characteristics of concrete under three-point bending test. In addition 2-dimensional AE source location has been performed to monitor the progress of an internal damage and the successive crack growth behavior during the loading. The relationship between AE signal characteristics and microscopic fracture mechanism is discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.339-354
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• 2007

Arched Corrugated Steel Roof (ACSR) is a kind of thin-walled steel shell, composing of arched panels with transverse small corrugations. Four full-scale W666 ACSR samples with 18m and 30m span were tested under full and half span static vertical uniform loads. Displacement, bearing capacities and failure modes of the four samples were measured. The web and bottom flange in ACSR with transverse small corrugations are simplified to anisotropic curved plates, and the equivalent tensile modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio of 18m span ACSR were measured. Two 18 m-span W666 ACSR samples were analyzed with the Finite Element Analysis program ABAQUS. Base on the tests, the limit bearing capacity of ACSR is low, and for half span loading, it is 74-75% compared with the full span loading. When the testing load approached to the limit value, the bottom flange at the sample's bulge place locally buckled first, and then the whole arched roof collapsed suddenly. If the vertical loads apply along the full span, the deformation shape is symmetric, but the overall failure mode is asymmetric. For half span vertical loading, the deformation shape and the overall failure mode of the structure are asymmetric. The ACSR displacement under the vertical loads is large and the structural stiffness is low. There is a little difference between the FEM analysis results and testing data, showing the simplify method of small corrugations in ACSR and the building techniques of FEM models are rational and useful.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.246-252
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• 2018

A series of simulated reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) tests on irradiated fully recrystallized boiling water reactor Zircaloy-2 cladding has been performed by means of the expansion-due-to-compression (EDC) test method. The EDC method reproduces fuel pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI) conditions for the cladding during RIA transients with respect to temperature and loading rates by out-of-pile mechanical testing. The tested materials had a large variation in burnup and hydrogen content (up to 907 wppm). The results of the EDC tests showed variation in the PCMI resistance of claddings with similar burnup and hydrogen content, making it difficult to clearly identify ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures. The EDC-tested samples of the present and previous work were investigated by light optical and scanning electron microscopy to study the influence of factors such as azimuthal variation of the Zr-hydrides and the presence of hydride rims and radially oriented hydrides. Two main characteristics were identified in samples with low ductility with respect to hydrogen content and test temperature: hydride rims and radial hydrides at the cladding outer surface. Crack propagation and failure modes were also studied, showing two general modes of crack propagation depending on distribution and amount of radially oriented hydrides. It was concluded that the PCMI resistance of irradiated cladding under normal conditions with homogenously distributed circumferential hydrides is high, with good margin to the RIA failure limits. To further improve safety, focus should be on conditions causing nonfavorable hydride distribution, such as hydride reorientation and formation of hydride blisters at the cladding outer surface.