• Title/Summary/Keyword: natural phenomenon

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"Post-Decompressive Neuropathy": New-Onset Post-Laminectomy Lower Extremity Neuropathic Pain Different from the Preoperative Complaint

  • Boakye, Lorraine A.T.;Fourman, Mitchell S.;Spina, Nicholas T.;Laudermilch, Dann;Lee, Joon Y.
    • Asian Spine Journal
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    • v.12 no.6
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    • pp.1043-1052
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    • 2018
  • Study Design: Level III retrospective cross-sectional study. Purpose: To define and characterize the presentation, symptom duration, and patient/surgical risk factors associated with 'post-decompressive neuropathy (PDN).' Overview of Literature: PDN is characterized by lower extremity radicular pain that is 'different' from pre-surgical radiculopathy or claudication pain. Although it is a common constellation of postoperative symptoms, PDN is incompletely characterized and poorly understood. We hypothesize that PDN is caused by an intraoperative neuropraxic event and may develop early (within 30 days following the procedure) or late (after 30 days following the procedure) within the postoperative period. Methods: Patients who consented to undergo lumbar laminectomy with or without an instrumented fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disease were followed up prospectively from July 2013 to December 2014. Relevant data were extracted from the charts of the eligible patients. Patient demographics and surgical factors were identified. Patients completed postoperative questionnaires 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Questions were designed to characterize the postoperative pain that differed from preoperative pain. A diagnosis of PDN was established if the patient exhibited the following characteristics: pain different from preoperative pain, leg pain worse than back pain, a non-dermatomal pain pattern, and nocturnal pain that often disrupted sleep. A Visual Analog Scale was used to monitor the pain, and patients documented the effectiveness of the prescribed pain management modalities. Patients for whom more than one follow-up survey was missed were excluded from analysis. Results: Of the 164 eligible patients, 118 (72.0%) completed at least one follow-up survey at each time interval. Of these eligible patients, 91 (77.1%) described symptoms consistent with PDN. Additionally, 75 patients (82.4%) described early-onset symptoms, whereas 16 reported symptoms consistent with late-onset PDN. Significantly more female patients reported PDN symptoms (87% vs. 69%, p=0.03). Patients with both early and late development of PDN described their leg pain as an intermittent, constant, burning, sharp/stabbing, or dull ache. Early PDN was categorized more commonly as a dull ache than late-onset PDN (60% vs. 31%, p=0.052); however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Opioids were significantly more effective for patients with early-onset PDN than for those with late-onset PDN (85% vs. 44%, p=0.001). Gabapentin was most commonly prescribed to patients who cited no resolution of symptoms (70% vs. 31%, p=0.003). Time to symptom resolution ranged from within 1 month to 1 year. Patients' symptoms were considered unresolved if symptoms persisted for more than 1 year postoperatively. In total, 81% of the patients with early-onset PDN reported complete symptom resolution 1 year postoperatively compared with 63% of patients with late-onset PDN (p=0.11). Conclusions: PDN is a discrete postoperative pain phenomenon that occurred in 77% of the patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy with or without instrumented fusion. Attention must be paid to the constellation and natural history of symptoms unique to PDN to effectively manage a self-limiting postoperative issue.

Mechanical Properties and Impact Resistance Review of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites with Different Fiber Contents and Fiber Lengths (섬유혼입률 및 섬유길이 변화에 따른 탄소섬유 보강시멘트 복합재료의 역학적 특성과 내충격성 검토)

  • Heo, Gwang-Hee;Song, Ki-Chang;Park, Jong-Gun;Han, Yoon-Jung;Lim, Cae-Young
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.23 no.4
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    • pp.86-95
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    • 2019
  • Recently, the applications of carbon fiber have been broader than ever when it comes to such industrials as automobiles, ships, aerospace, civil engineering and architecture because of their lightweight-ness and high mechanical properties. This study analyzed mechanical properties and flexural behavior of carbon fiber reinforced cement composites(CFRC) with different fiber contents and fiber lengths, and also impact resistance by natural drop test on mortar specimens was compared and examined. In addition, contents of carbon fiber(CF) were varied by 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0%. Fiber lengths was used for 6 mm and 12 mm, respectively. As a result of the test, the flow value was very disadvantageous in terms of fluidity due to the carbon fiber ball phenomenon, and the unit weight was slightly reduced. In particular, the compressive strength was decreased with increasing carbon fiber contents. On the other hand, the flexural strength was the highest with 12 mm fiber length and 2% fiber content. As the results of the impact resistance test, the specimens of plain mortar takes about 2~3 times to final fracture, while the specimens of CFRC is somewhat different depending on the increase of the fiber contents. However, when the fiber length is 12 mm and the fiber content is 2%, the impact resistance was the highest.

The Growth and Locality of Mahan(馬韓) Seen through the Pottery in Tombs (분묘 출토 토기로 살펴본 마한의 성장과 지역성)

  • Kim, Nak Jung
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.49 no.4
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    • pp.126-155
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    • 2016
  • This article deals with some issues with respect to the Mahan pottery excavated from the tombs. Pedestal jars with cover, small round-bottom jars, cylindrical pottery etc. had appeared in the interaction with the northern region in the dimension of the southern Korean peninsula. Especially, these relics had an important role at the route connecting the midwest region, Chungcheong(忠淸) inland and Yeongnam(嶺南) region. By this stage, the iron culture was similar to each other in the southern Korean peninsula. In addition to the inland route, the coastal passage along the west coast seems to have been used. Such signs are found in cylindrical pottery and Pedestal jars with cover. It was probably a natural phenomenon that the most powerful forces of Mahan appeared at this crossroad of cultural exchange. The unique style of Mahan pottery such as double-rim pottery had been established since the third century. After the third century, Mahan pottery varied by region depending on the tomb style. The difference roughly matches with the variations of the tomb style. But at the region of Bungumyo(mounded tomb), specific pottery such double-rim pottery had been prevalent than in other regions. And a specific style had been used in a narrow range. The pottery spread to the neighboring regions in the course of interaction and were also used in ritual practices.

Salivary Flow According to Elderly's Whole Health and Oral Health Status: According to Application of Oral exercise and Salivary Gland Massage

  • Oh, Ji-Young;Noh, Eun-Mi;Park, Hye-Young;Lee, Min-Kyung;Kim, Hye-Jin
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.218-226
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    • 2019
  • In old age, measures to cope with the natural phenomenon of aging and various diseases of the elderly due to the deterioration of physical function are also a challenge for this society. While interest in systematic health is increasing, it is true that awareness and interest in oral-related diseases is relatively lacking. This study aims to present basic data necessary to improve the quality of life for senior citizens aged 65 or older by improving the oral dryness caused by systemic health. By research method, improve oral dryness caused by whole-body health with the elderly over 65 and promote their oral health, inducing the increase of the salivary flow rate through oral health care education, oral exercise, and salivary gland massage. First, on the DMSQ according to the general characteristics of the elderly, the recognition of the whole body and oral health status, independent sample t-test and One-way ANOVA were conducted. Second, on changes in the salivary flow rate and saliva pH according to the general characteristics of the elderly, recognition of oral and whole-body health status, and whole-body health, paired samples t-test was conducted. Studies have shown that salivary gland flow increased significantly after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, the salivary flow rate significantly increased. In all variables of the recognition of the oral health status, the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, and in the whole-body health, regardless of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and osteoporosis, the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, and the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage if the subjects responded that they did not have thyroid abnormality, anemia, abnormalities of breathing, hypotension, gastrointestinal disturbance, or kidney diseases. As a comprehensive analysis of this study, many felt oral dryness when they had a problem with the whole-body health, and many felt oral dryness when they had a problem with oral health cognition. After applying oral exercise and salivary gland massage as intervention methods in the oral health care for the elderly, the salivary flow rate significantly increased, and it is judged that the methods were very effective for controlling oral dryness. Furthermore, it is judged that the factors affecting oral health, whole-body health, and oral dryness would be identified, which would be helpful for the promotion of whole-body health and oral health. It is judged that continuous research would be needed so that measures for the application of the oral care program and system for the elderly would be prepared in the future.

A Study on the Urban Inundation Flooding Forecasting According to the Water Level Conditions (내수위 조건에 따른 도시내수침수 예보에 관한 연구)

  • Choo, Tai-ho;Choo, Yean-moon;Jeon, Hae-seong;Gwon, Chang-heon;Lee, Jae-gyun
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.20 no.4
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    • pp.545-550
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    • 2019
  • The frequency of natural disasters and the scale of damage are increasing due to the abnormal weather phenomenon occurring all over the world. As a result, as the hydrological aspect of the urban watershed changes, the increase in impervious area leads to serious domestic flood damage due to increased rainfall. In order to minimize the damage of life and property, domestic flooding prediction system is needed. In this study, we developed a flood nomogram capable of predicting flooding only by rainfall intensity and duration. This study suggests a method to set the internal water immersion alarm criterion by analyzing the characteristics of the flooding damage in the flooded area in the metropolitan area where flooding is highly possible and the risk of flooding is high. In addition, based on the manhole and the pipe, the water level was set as follows under the four conditions. 1) When manhole overflows, 2) when manhole is full, 3) when 70% of the pipe is reached, and 4) when 60% of the pipe is reached. Therefore, it can be used as a criterion and a predictive measure to cope with the pre-preparation before the flooding starts, through the rainfall that causes the flooding and the flooding damage.

Comparison of Visualization Enhancement Techniques for Himawari-8 / AHI-based True Color Image Production (Himawari-8/AHI 기반 True color 영상 생산을 위한 시각화 향상 기법 비교 연구)

  • Han, Hyeon-Gyeong;Lee, Kyeong-Sang;Choi, Sungwon;Seo, Minji;Jin, Donghyun;Seong, Noh-hun;Jung, Daeseong;Kim, Honghee;Han, Kyung-Soo
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.35 no.3
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    • pp.483-489
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    • 2019
  • True color images display colors similar to natural colors. This has the advantage that it is possible to monitor rapidly the complex earth atmosphere phenomenon and the change of the surface type. Currently, various organizations are producing true color images. In Korea, it is necessary to produce true color images by replacing generations with next generation weather satellites. Therefore, in this study, visual enhancement for true color image production was performed using Top of Atmosphere (TOA) data of Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) sensor mounted on Himawari-8 satellite. In order to improve the visualization, we performed two methods of Nonlinear enhancement and Histogram equalization. As a result, Histogram equalization showed a strong bluish image in the region over $70^{\circ}$ Solar Zenith Angle (SZA) compared to the Nonlinear enhancement and nonlinear enhancement technique showed a reddish vegetation area.

Meteorological drought outlook with satellite precipitation data using Bayesian networks and decision-making model (베이지안 네트워크 및 의사결정 모형을 이용한 위성 강수자료 기반 기상학적 가뭄 전망)

  • Shin, Ji Yae;Kim, Ji-Eun;Lee, Joo-Heon;Kim, Tae-Woong
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.279-289
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    • 2019
  • Unlike other natural disasters, drought is a reoccurring and region-wide phenomenon after being triggered by a prolonged precipitation deficiency. Considering that remote sensing products provide consistent temporal and spatial measurements of precipitation, this study developed a remote sensing data-based drought outlook model. The meteorological drought was defined by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) achieved from PERSIANN_CDR, TRMM 3B42 and GPM IMERG images. Bayesian networks were employed in this study to combine the historical drought information and dynamical prediction products in advance of drought outlook. Drought outlook was determined through a decision-making model considering the current drought condition and forecasted condition from the Bayesian networks. Drought outlook condition was classified by four states such as no drought, drought occurrence, drought persistence, and drought removal. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis were employed to measure the relative outlook performance with the dynamical prediction production, Multi-Model Ensemble (MME). The ROC analysis indicated that the proposed outlook model showed better performance than the MME, especially for drought occurrence and persistence of 2- and 3-month outlook.

Understanding of Scientific Inquiry Developed by Beginning Science Teachers in Professional Learning Community (교사학습공동체 활동을 한 초임중등과학교사의 과학 탐구에 대한 이해)

  • Kim, Yurim;Choi, Aeran
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.39 no.2
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    • pp.221-232
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    • 2019
  • Despite the continuing emphasis on the importance of scientific inquiry, research studies have commented that authentic scientific inquiry is not implemented in school science classroom due to a lack of understanding of scientific inquiry by the teacher. The purpose of this study is to investigate understanding of scientific inquiry developed by beginning teachers through open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview. They voluntarily set up the goal of inquiry-based classes, planned inquiry-based classes, shared and reflected their teaching experience in professional learning community for more than a year. It appeared that participant teachers understood scientific inquiry as 'what scientists do', 'process how students do science' and 'science teaching methods.' All teacher participants described scientific inquiry as 'what scientists do', and understood 'the process of doing scientific investigation to solve problems related to natural phenomenon' and 'the process of constructing scientific knowledge using scientific practice.' Two participant teachers seemed to understand scientific inquiry as a 'teaching method' based on the understanding of the process how scientists or students do science. Participant teachers had a limited understanding of scientific inquiry that it is the same as laboratory works or hands-on activities prior to engaging the professional learning community, but they developed an understanding of scientific inquiry that there are various ways to conduct scientific inquiry after engaging in professional learning community.

Function and Molecular Ecology Significance of Two Catechol-Degrading Gene Clusters in Pseudomonas putida ND6

  • Shi, Sanyuan;Yang, Liu;Yang, Chen;Li, Shanshan;Zhao, Hong;Ren, Lu;Wang, Xiaokang;Lu, Fuping;Li, Ying;Zhao, Huabing
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.259-271
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    • 2021
  • Many bacteria metabolize aromatic compounds via catechol as a catabolic intermediate, and possess multiple genes or clusters encoding catechol-cleavage enzymes. The presence of multiple isozyme-encoding genes is a widespread phenomenon that seems to give the carrying strains a selective advantage in the natural environment over those with only a single copy. In the naphthalene-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida ND6, catechol can be converted into intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle via either the ortho- or meta-cleavage pathways. In this study, we demonstrated that the catechol ortho-cleavage pathway genes (catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII) on the chromosome play an important role. The catI and catII operons are co-transcribed, whereas catAI and catAII are under independent transcriptional regulation. We examined the binding of regulatory proteins to promoters. In the presence of cis-cis-muconate, a well-studied inducer of the cat gene cluster, CatRI and CatRII occupy an additional downstream site, designated as the activation binding site. Notably, CatRI binds to both the catI and catII promoters with high affinity, while CatRII binds weakly. This is likely caused by a T to G mutation in the G/T-N11-A motif. Specifically, we found that CatRI and CatRII regulate catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII in a cooperative manner, which provides new insights into naphthalene degradation.

3D numerical modeling of impact wave induced by landslide using a multiphase flow model (다상흐름 모형을 이용한 산사태 유발 수면충격파 3차원 수치모의)

  • Kim, Byungjoo;Paik, Joongcheol
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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    • v.54 no.11
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    • pp.943-953
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    • 2021
  • The propagation of impact wave induced by landslide and debris flow occurred on the slope of lake, reservoir and bays is a three-dimensional natural phenomenon associated with strong interaction of debris flow and water flow in complex geometrical environments. We carried out 3D numerical modeling of such impact wave in a bay using a multiphase turbulence flow model and a rheology model for non-Newtonian debris flow. Numerical results are compared with previous experimental result to evaluate the performance of present numerical approach. The results underscore that the reasonable predictions of both thickness and speed of debris flow head penetrating below the water surface are crucial to accurately reproduce the maximum peak height and free surface profiles of impact wave. Two predictions computed using different initial debris flow thicknesses become different from the instant when the peaks of impact waves fall due to the gravity. Numerical modeling using relatively thick initial debris flow thickness appears to well reproduce the water surface profile of impact wave propagating across the bay as well as wave run-up on the opposite slope. The results show that the maximum run-up height on the opposite slope is not sensitive to the initial thickness of debris flows of same total volume. Meanwhile, appropriate rheology model for debris flow consisting of inviscid particle only should be employed to more accurately reproduce the debris flow propagating along the channel bottom.