• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.563-570
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• 2018

Ballast layer has an important role in vertical stiffness and stability of railway track. In most of the Middle East countries and some of the Asian ones, significant parts of railway lines pass through desert areas where the track (particularly ballast layer) is contaminated with sands. Despite considerable number of derailments reported in the sand contaminated tracks, there is a lack of sufficient studies on the influences of sand contamination on the ballast vertical stiffness as the main indicator of track stability. Addressing this limitation, the effects of sand contamination on the mechanical behavior of ballast were experimentally investigated. For this purpose, laboratory tests (plate load test) on ballast samples with different levels of sand contamination were carried out. The results obtained were analyzed leading to derive mathematical expressions for the strain modulus ($E_V$) as a function of the ballast level of contamination. The $E_V$ was used as an index for evaluation of the load-deformation characteristics and bearing capacity of track substructure. The critical limit of sand contamination, after which the $E_V$ of the ballast reduces drastically, was obtained. It was shown that the obtained research results improve the current track maintenance approach by providing key guides for the optimization of ballast maintenance planning (the timing of ballast cleaning or renewal).

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2017

Purpose: Various landscapes have been created in the process of changing containers, which were a tool of trade activities, to architecture, and today, containers have formed relationships with people as complex facilities and constantly create new cultures. In this paper, considering these container constructions from the viewpoint of the landscape, consider the meaning as one of landscape factors for creating cultural landscape. Method: In this study, a methodological framework was constructed based on various statistical data and literature materials, and analyzed texts called containers from the viewpoints of physical elements and active elements and analyzed them at the level of function. Based on literature materials, specifically, this study has handled with the cultural landscape as text, the functional dimension of urban design, and the characteristics of container construction. Result: This research analyzed the physical and active characteristics of the target area by utilizing the content of the field analysis and the contents of the interview, previous research, etc., and then content was analyzed in functional dimension. Through this process, the conclusion proposed by this research is to study the construction of a container and present the direction to analyze in the functional dimension showing the landscape characteristics that it brings forward.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) expressed in epidermis of skin, bulge region of hair follicle, outermost layer of outer root sheath and proximal and distal to bulge. Vimentin is a fibrous protein that localized in cytoplasm of fibroblast and forms cytoskeleton to maintain shape of cell and nucleus. In this study, CK19 and vimentin in skin were confirmed with light, fluorescence and transmission electron microscope. As a result, CK19 was localized epidermis, hair follicles, outer root sheath and nucleus of Merkel's cell. However, vimentin was localized some epidermis, dermis, hypodermis and nucleus of Merkel's cell. The role of CK19 is self-renewal and homeostasis in skin. Also, hair follicle regeneration and hair growth is known to be related. It is supposed that required of structural proteins that make up cytoskeleton is increased. Thereby, expression of CK19 is increased. It is considered that vimentin localized in order to stabilize structure of cell and cytoskeleton of fibroblasts. Also, CK19 and vimentin present in nuclei of Merkel's cell, and to act as a fibrous protein that make up end of a nerve fiber present in Merkel's cell and paracrine function of Merkel's cell.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.225-233
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• 2012

The research discusses interrelationship of structural and reliability importance measures which used in the probabilistic safety assessment. The most frequently used component importance measures, such as Birnbaum's Importance (BI), Risk Reduction (RR), Risk Reduction Worth (RRW), RA (Risk Achievement), Risk Achievement Worth (RAW), Fussel Vesely (FV) and Critically Importance (CI) can be derived from two structure importance measures that are developed based on the size and the number of Minimal Path Set (MPS) and Minimal Cut Set (MCS). In order to show an effectiveness of importance measures which is developed in this paper, the three representative functional structures, such as series-parallel, k out of n and bridge are used to compare with Birnbaum's Importance measure. In addition, the study presents the implementation examples of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) metrics and alternating renewal process models with exponential distribution to calculate the availability and unavailability of component facility for improving system performances. System state structure functions in terms of component states can be converted into the system availability (unavailability) functions by substituting the component reliabilities (unavailabilities) for the component states. The applicable examples are presented in order to help the understanding of practitioners.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine an optimal production time for economic production quantity model with preventive maintenance and random defective rate as the function of a machinery deteriorates. Methods: If a machinery shifts from "in-control" state to "out-of-control" state, a proportion of defective items being produced increases. It is assumed that time to state shift is a random variable and follows an arbitrary distribution. The elapsed time until process shift decreases stochastically as a production cycle repeats and quasi-renewal process is used to implement for production facilities to deteriorate. Results: When the exponential parameter for exponential distribution increases, the optimal production time increases. When Weibull distribution is considered, the optimal production time is closely affected by the shape parameter of Weibull distribution. Conclusion: A mathematical model is suggested to find optimal production time and optimal number of production cycles and numerical examples are implemented to validate the patterns for changes of optimal times under different parameters assumptions. The real application is implemented using the proposed approach.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.68-80
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• 2022

Since the launch of AI, technology development to implement complete and sophisticated AI functions has continued. In efforts to develop technologies for complete automation, Machine Learning techniques and deep learning techniques are mainly used. These techniques deal with supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning as internal technical elements, and use the Big-data Analysis method again to set the cornerstone for decision-making. In addition, established decision-making is being improved through subsequent repetition and renewal of decision-making standards. In other words, big data analysis, which enables data classification and recognition/recognition, is important enough to be called a key technical element of AI function. Therefore, big data analysis itself is important and requires sophisticated analysis. In this study, among various tools that can analyze big data, we will use a Python program to find out what variables can affect addiction according to smartphone use in a decision tree environment. We the Python program checks whether data classification by decision tree shows the same performance as other tools, and sees if it can give reliability to decision-making about the addictiveness of smartphone use. Through the results of this study, it can be seen that there is no problem in performing big data analysis using any of the various statistical tools such as Python and R when analyzing big data.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2008

Nanog is a newly identified member of the homeobox family of DNA binding transcription factors that functions to maintain the undifferentiated state of stem cells. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the function of Nanog remain largely unknown. To elucidate the regulatory roles of Nanog involved in maintenance of P19 embryonal carcinoma (EC) stem cells, we transfected three small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes targeted against different regions of the Nanog gene into P19 cells. The Nanog siRNA-100 duplexes effectively decreased the expression of Nanog up to 30.7% compared to other two Nanog siRNAs, the Nanog siRNA-400 (67.9 %) and -793 (53.0%). When examined by RT-PCR and real-time PCR, the expression of markers for pluripotency such as Fgf4, Oct3/4, Rex1, Sox1 and Yes was downregulated at 48 h after transfection with Nanog siRNA-100. Furthermore, expression of the ectodermal markers, Fgf5 and Isl1 was reduced by Nanog knockdown. By contrast, the expression of other markers for pluripotency such as Cripto, Sox2 and Zfp57 was not affected by Nanog knockdown at this time. On the other hand, the expression of Lif/Stat3 pathway molecules and of the endoderm markers including Dab2, Gata4, Gata6 and the germ cell nuclear factor was not changed by Nanog knockdown. The results of this study demonstrated that the knockdown of Nanog expression by RNA interference in P19 cells was sufficient to modulate the expression of pluripotent markers involved in the self-renewal of EC stem cells. These results provide the valuable information on potential downstream targets of Nanog and add to our understanding of the function of Nanog in P19 EC stem cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7553-7558
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• 2014

The Piwi subfamily comprises two argonaute (Ago) family proteins, which are defined by the presence of PAZ and Piwi domains, with well known roles in RNA silencing. Hiwi, a human Piwi subfamily member, has been shown to play essential roles in stem cell self-renewal and gametogenesis. Recently, accumulating reports have indicated that abnormal hiwi expression is associated with poorer prognosis of multiple types of human cancers, including examples in the breast. However, little is known about details of the oncogenic role of hiwi in breast cancers. In present study, we confirmed overexpression of hiwi in breast cancer specimens and breast cancer cell lines at both mRNA and protein levels. Thus both RT-qPCR and Western blot data revealed significantly higher hiwi in intratumor than peritumor specimens, overexpression being associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and histological grade. Hiwi overexpression was also identified in breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, and gain-of-function and loss-of-function strategies were adopted to identify the role of hiwi in the MCF-7 cell growth. Results demonstrated that hiwi expression in MCF-7 cells was significantly up- or down-regulated by the two strategies. We next evaluated the influence of hiwi overexpression or knockdown on the growth of breast cancer cells. Both cell count and colony formation assays confirmed promoting roles of hiwi in MCF-7 cells, which could be inhibited by hiwi specific blockage by siRNAs. In summary, the present study confirmed overexpression of hiwi in breast cancer specimens and breast cancer cell lines, and provided e vidence of promotion by hiwi of cell growth. The results imply an oncogenic role of hiwi in breast cancers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2016

Owing to time and cost constraints, new methods that would make it possible to evaluate the safety of the water supply pipeline in a less time- and cost-consuming manner are urgently needed. In response to this exigency, the present study developed a new statistical model to assess the safety of the water supply pipeline using the quantification theory type II. In this research, the safety of the water supply pipeline was defined as 'a possibility of the pipeline failure'. Quantification analysis was conducted on the qualitative data, such as pipe material, coating, and buried condition. The results of analyses demonstrate that the hit ratio of the quantification function amounted to 77.8% of hit ratio, which was a fair value. In addition, all variables that were included in the quantification function were logically valid and demonstrated statistically significant. According to the results derived from the application of the safety evaluation model, the coefficient of determination ($R^2$) between K-region's water supply pipeline safety and the safety inspection amounted to 0.80. Therefore, these findings provide meaningful insight for the measured values in real applications of the model. The results of the present study can also be meaningfully used in further research on safety evaluation of pipelines, establishing of renewal prioritization, as well as asset management planning of the water supply infrastructure.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.104-112
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• 2009

After the middle of 90's, the eco rivers maintenance enterprise was propelled about city rivers. The environmental function is more emphasized because of revising the rivers law enforced at 2008.4. Also, the field of application is being magnified. It is difficult to apply that the conceptual public work expense estimating model of the rivers which adjusts a focus at open channel rivers excepts the small-scale rivers maintenance public work. The research presents a eco rivers public work conceptual public work expense estimating model frame work. It suits the change of the rivers environmental renewal construction paradigm. It develops the conceptual public work expense estimating plan of the rivers at the planning phase using the collection and analysis of the data. As a result, riffle, spur dyke, stepping stones, fish way and etc are added. Consequently, it brings the hydrophilic function is considered seriously conceptual public work expense estimating model of the eco rivers.