• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.1057-1063
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• 2023

The urban railway sleeper floating track, the subject of this study, is an anti-vibration track to reduce vibration transmitted to the structure. currently, the replacement cycle of resilience pad for sleeper floating tracks is set and operated based on load. however, most previous studies were conducted on load-based structural safety aspects, such as fatigue life evaluation of sleeper anti-vibration pads and increase in track impact coefficient and track support stiffness due to increase in spring stiffness. therefore, in this study, we measure the vibration acceleration of the ballast for each analysis section and use the results of 7 million fatigue tests to calculate the spring stiffness of the resilience pad for each section. the spring stiffness of the resilience pad calculated for each section was set as the analysis data and the concrete vibration acceleration was derived analytically. the adequacy of analysis modeling was verified as the analyzed concrete bed vibration acceleration for each section was within the field-measured concrete bed vibration acceleration range. using the vibration acceleration curve according to the derived spring stiffness change, the spring stiffness of the resilience pad is estimated from the measured vibration acceleration. therefore, we would like to present a technique that can estimate the spring stiffness of resilience pad of a running track using the vibration acceleration of the measured concrete bed.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 2024

South Korea faces a declining population and rural areas vanishing due to urbanization. Infrastructure, especially medical facilities, may not be sustainable for a long-term. This may impact vulnerable groups like children, teens, and the elderly, worsened by an aging population and low birth rates. Gangwon-do, notably Chuncheon-si, suffers from rural depopulation and poor healthcare self-sufficiency. In this paper, using 2SFCA(Two-Step Floating Catchment Area), we analyze healthcare access in Chuncheon-si, identifying gaps and vulnerable areas. LISA analysis helps map medical vulnerability, considering patient demand and supply. The Gini coefficient assesses spatial inequality. We propose distributing healthcare services and personnel based on age and region. The aim is to identify locations for additional hospitals catering to the elders, Infants, Children, and Adolescents,considering spatial accessibility.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1006-1016
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• 2023

Objective: Computed tomography (CT) is an established method for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of multiple myeloma. Here, we investigated the potential of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) in terms of image quality, diagnostic confidence, and radiation dose compared with energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT). Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, patients with known multiple myeloma underwent clinically indicated whole-body PCD-CT. The image quality of PCD-CT was assessed qualitatively by three independent radiologists for overall image quality, edge sharpness, image noise, lesion conspicuity, and diagnostic confidence using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = excellent), and quantitatively for signal homogeneity using the coefficient of variation (CV) of Hounsfield Units (HU) values and modulation transfer function (MTF) via the full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the frequency space. The results were compared with those of the current clinical standard EID-CT protocols as controls. Additionally, the radiation dose (CTDIvol) was determined. Results: We enrolled 35 patients with multiple myeloma (mean age 69.8 ± 9.1 years; 18 [51%] males). Qualitative image analysis revealed superior scores (median [interquartile range]) for PCD-CT regarding overall image quality (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), edge sharpness (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), image noise (4.0 [4.0-4.0] vs. 3.0 [3.0-4.0]), lesion conspicuity (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), and diagnostic confidence (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]) compared with EID-CT (P ≤ 0.004). In quantitative image analyses, PCD-CT compared with EID-CT revealed a substantially lower FWHM (2.89 vs. 25.68 cy/pixel) and a significantly more homogeneous signal (mean CV ± standard deviation [SD], 0.99 ± 0.65 vs. 1.66 ± 0.5; P < 0.001) at a significantly lower radiation dose (mean CTDIvol ± SD, 3.33 ± 0.82 vs. 7.19 ± 3.57 mGy; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Whole-body PCD-CT provides significantly higher subjective and objective image quality at significantly reduced radiation doses than the current clinical standard EID-CT protocols, along with readily available multi-spectral data, facilitating the potential for further advanced post-processing.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2024

Purpose: Foot pressure measurement devices are used widely in clinical settings for plantar pressure assessments. Despite the availability of various devices, studies evaluating the inter-device reliability are limited. This study compared plantar pressure measurements obtained from HR Mat (Tekscan Inc.) and EMED-n50 (Novel GmbH). Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 healthy male volunteers. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the Meary's angle in standing foot lateral radiographs: those with normal feet (angles ranging from -4° to 4°) and those with mild flatfeet (angles from -8° to -15°). The static and dynamic plantar pressures of the participants were measured using HR Mat and EMED-n50. The reliability of the contact area and mean force was assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, the differences in measurements between the two devices were examined, considering the presence of mild flatfoot. Results: The ICC values for the contact area and mean force ranged from 0.703 to 0.947, indicating good-to-excellent reliability across all areas. EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. The mean force was significantly higher in the forefoot region when measured with EMED-n50, whereas, in the hindfoot region, this difference was observed only during static measurements with HR Mat. Participants with mild flatfeet exhibited significantly higher contact areas in the midfoot region for both devices, with no consistent differences in the other parameters. Conclusion: The contact area and mean force measurements of the HR Mat and EMED-n50 showed high reliability. On the other hand, EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. In cases of mild flatfoot, an increase in contact area within the midfoot region was observed, but no consistent impact on the differences between the two devices was evident.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.51-65
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• 2024

Phyto-sociological methods were used in this study to assess the vegetation structure of a forest stand at Mt. Goehwa in Sejong-Si with the aim of providing vegetation information for urban forest utilization and management plans. The actual forest vegetation was classified into two types of community groups (Quercus serrata-Lindera obtusiloba and Coreopsis lanceolata community groups) at the highest hierarchical level. The Q. serrata-L. obtusiloba community group was classified into six units, which included artificial forest and natural forest vegetation. Artificial forests were classified into three communities (Pinus rigida, Castanea crenata, and Robinia pseudoacacia), whereas natural forests were classified into three communities (Quercus variabilis, Quercus acutissimaa, and Pinus densiflora). The Coreopsis lanceolata community group, which exhibited vegetative characteristics of urban forest edge areas, was categorized into four units. The urban forest edges were classified into four communities (Indigofera bungeana, Lespedeza bicolor, Amorpha fruticosa, and Lespedeza cuneata). Accordingly, the vegetation structure of Mt. Goehwa was categorized into 10 vegetation unit systems. An importance value analysis showed the highest importance value for C. crenata at 6.7%, followed by P. rigida at 6.4%, and R. pseudoacacia at 6.3%, indicating that the ecological impact of plantation species can be significant on Mt. Goehwa. A community coefficient of similarity analysis revealed that the artificial and natural forests had similar species compositions; however, both forests differed from the urban forest edge. This variation was further confirmed by Detrended correspondence analysis(DCA), with similar results. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) showed that the artificial forest and natural forest community types were positively correlated with altitude, bare rock, and the present species. By contrast, the urban forest edge community types were negatively correlated with these factors.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.214-224
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• 2024

Valves play an essential role in a chemical plant such as regulating fluid flow and pressure. Therefore, optimal selection of the valve size and type is essential task. Valve size and type have been selected based on theoretical formulas about calculating valve sizing coefficient (Cv). However, this approach has limitations such as requiring expert knowledge and consuming substantial time and costs. Herein, this study developed a model for predicting valve sizes and types using machine learning. We developed models using four algorithms: ANN, Random Forest, XGBoost, and Catboost and model performances were evaluated using NRMSE & R² score for size prediction and F1 score for type prediction. Additionally, a case study was conducted to explore the impact of phases on valve selection, using four datasets: total fluids, liquids, gases, and steam. As a result of the study, for valve size prediction, total fluid, liquid, and gas dataset demonstrated the best performance with Catboost (Based on R², total: 0.99216, liquid: 0.98602, gas: 0.99300. Based on NRMSE, total: 0.04072, liquid: 0.04886, gas: 0.03619) and steam dataset showed the best performance with RandomForest (R²: 0.99028, NRMSE: 0.03493). For valve type prediction, Catboost outperformed all datasets with the highest F1 scores (total: 0.95766, liquids: 0.96264, gases: 0.95770, steam: 1.0000). In Engineering Procurement Construction industry, the proposed fluid-specific machine learning-based model is expected to guide the selection of suitable valves based on given process conditions and facilitate faster decision-making.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2182-2189
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• 2024

The high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometer was used to measure the radioisotope in surface water of lakes in a Chinee petroleum industrial area. 92 samples were collected from surface water of three lakes. Activity concentrations of ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K in three lakes were measured, distributed in the range of 101.8-209.4, 192.1-224.9 and 335.0-548.9 mBq/L, respectively. Results were all within the limits of WHO and China. Potential environmental and health risks were assessed by calculating some radiation hazard indicators, radium equivalent index, annual effective dose, excess lifetime cancer risk, absorbed dose rate, external hazard index, internal hazard index, annual gonadal dose equivalent, activity utilization index and representative gamma index, which ranged 0.38-0.54 Bq/L, 0.06-0.08 mSv/y, 0.23 × 10^-3-0.31 × 10^-3, 0.17-0.24 nGy/h, 1.01 × 10^-3-1.46 × 10^-3, 1.55 × 10^-3-2.02 × 10^-3, 1.16-1.66 μSv/y, 3.13 × 10^-3-4.45 × 10^-3 and 2.60 × 10^-3-3.77 × 10^-3. The results were all at acceptable levels, meaning no impact on human health. The relationship between the electrical conductivity of surface water and the activity concentration of ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K was evaluated. The electrical conductivity value was 0.241-0.369 mS/cm, showing a significant correlation coefficient between ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K and electrical conductivity. Multivariate statistical methods were used to determine the relationship between the activity concentrations of ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K, radiation hazard indicators and electrical conductivity.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.113-129
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• 2024

This study reclassifies the risk levels of cut-slopes and addresses the limitations inherent in existing evaluation methods using road slope maintenance data. Conventional risk assessment predominantly relies on subjective expert judgment, resulting in issues of consistency and reliability. To mitigate these limitations, this study applies dimensionality reduction techniques, specifically Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), followed by K-means clustering, to classify new risk levels. The clustering results using PCA demonstrated more distinct cluster separation compared to LDA, and also showed superior performance in terms of the silhouette coefficient and other clustering metrics. This suggests that the existing risk level labels may not adequately capture the underlying data structure. Furthermore, the inconsistency observed between LDA-based clustering results and current risk labels indicates potential reliability issues in the present labeling approach. To resolve this, new risk levels were assigned using PCA and K-means clustering, with cluster risk levels evaluated based on risk scores. A quantitative analysis of key risk factors was also conducted to establish criteria for risk classification and assess the impact of each variable on the different risk levels. This study proposes a data-driven, objective, and quantitative approach to risk level evaluation, aiming to improve the efficiency and reliability of road slope management.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2008

Background: The control of active pulmonary tuberculosis is still an issue in community medicine. But there are also considerable needs for supportive management of symptomatic patients with post-tuberculous destroyed lung. Few studies have evaluated clinical characteristics and health-related quality of life in patients with post-tuberculous destroyed lung. Methods: We evaluated lung function, exercise tolerance, HRCT and health-related quality of life measurements using the Korean version of St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) in 22 patients with parenchymal damage to more than a half of one lung due to pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: In the pulmonary function test, mixed defects and obstructive defects were observed in 10 (45.0%) and 9 (40.9%) of patients, respectively. In the cardiopulmonary exercise test, the mean $VO_2max%$ predicted ($39.0%{\pm}10.9%$) and $O_2$ pulse% predicted ($61.3%{\pm}13.6%$) were markedly decreased. In the SGRQ, the impact score (mean $27.8{\pm}18.5$) was significantly lower than the symptom score (mean $53.9{\pm}20.9$) or activity score (mean $50.8{\pm}27.3$) (p<0.05, p<0.01). Cronbach's alpha coefficient value for reliability was more than 0.7 for each subscale and total score. The total score showed a significant negative correlation with $FEV_1%$ predicted (r=-0.46, p<0.05) and $SaO_2$ (r=-0.60, p<0.05). On HRCT, a median of 9 (range 5~15) bronchopulmonary segments were destroyed by less than half, which significantly correlated with SGRQ total score (r=-0.52, p=0.02). Conclusion: The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the SGRQ was acceptable for the measurement of health-related quality of life in patients with post-tuberculous destroyed lung.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.142-154
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• 2011

This study predicted the probability of corrosion initiation of reinforced concrete tunnel boxes structures using the Monte Carlo Simulation. For the inner wall and outer wall in the tunnel boxes, exposed to airborne chloride ion and seawater directly respectively, statistical values of parameters like diffusion coefficient D, surface chloride content $C_s$, cover depth c, and the chloride threshold level $C_{lim}$ were examined from experiment or literature review. Their average values accounted for $3.77{\times}10^{-12}m^2/s$, 3.0% by weight of cement, 94.7mm and 45.5mm for outer wall and inner wall, respectively, and 0.69% by weight of cement for D, $C_s$, c, and $C_{lim}$, respectively. With these parametric values, the distribution of chloride contents at rebar with time and the probability of corrosion initiation of the tunnel boxes, inner wall and outer wall, was examined by considering time dependency of chloride transport. From the examination, the histogram of chloride contents at rebar is closer to a gamma distribution, and the mean value increases with time, while the coefficient of variance decreases with time. It was found that the probability of corrosion initiation and the time to corrosion were dependent on the time dependency of chloride transport. Time independent model predicted time to corrosion initiation of inner wall and outer wall as 8 and 12 years, respectively, while 178 and 283 years of time to corrosion was calculated by time dependent model for inner wall and outer wall, respectively. For time independent model, the probability of corrosion at 100 years of exposure for inner wall and outer wall was ranged 59.5 and 95.5%, respectively, while time dependent model indicated 2.9 and 0.2% of the probability corrosion, respectively. Finally, impact of $C_{lim}$, including values specified in current codes, on the probability of corrosion initiation and corrosion free life is discussed.