• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.165-168
• /
• 1998

Although the incidence of epidural abscess is low, patient requiring continuous epidural analgesia for control of acute and chronic pain is increasing rapidly. Therefore we anticipate more frequent encounters with epidural abscess patients in future. Once epidural abscess formation begins, early diagnosis and treatment is very important to prevent permanent neurologic damage. The authors encountered a case of epidural abscess after continuous epidural analgesia for control of perineal pain due to rectal cancer. Forty-eight hours after the block, patient began to suffer severe low back pain, local tenderness, and fever. So the catheter was removed and culture sensitivity test was done with blood and local drainage. The test results identified methicillin susceptible staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics were administered. Ten days after the block, left ankle jerk disappeared, and force of dorsiflexion of great toe decreased, but numbness or anesthesia appeared at $L_5$ dermatome. Laminectomy was performed, and abscess and necrotic fat material was removed from left $L_5$ nerve root. The patient was discharged 12 days after operation without any neurologic sequalae.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.15 no.10
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2014

In Korea, the pipe type that has been well used as sewage pipe from the past is primarily a rigid pipe which is represented by concrete hume pipe, but the use of it is being decreased sharply because of the problems such as tube erosion and incomplete watertightness securing through the time. On the other hand, the use of flexible pipe has been increased because its construction ability is excellent on account of its light weight as well as it is resistant to corrosion. However, because there are lacks of market's confidence in flexible pipe and occurrence cases of partial damage incomplete caused by compaction control, cause analysis and management for them are needed. Therefore, this study tried to estimate the deformation characteristics of pipe caused by each condition through numerical analysis changing construction sequence, rigidity of pipe, strength of ground concrete under the pipe, relative compaction ratio of sand foundation under the pipe and relative compaction ratio of backfill material above the pipe. Evaluation result is that influence on each factor is confirmed and the quality control of sand around the pipe are turned up to be important.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2001

A new non-destructive fatigue prediction model of the composite laminates is developed. The natural frequencies of fatigue-damaged laminates under extensional loading are related to the fatigue life of the laminates by establishing the equivalent flexural stiffness reduction as a function of the elastic properties of sublaminates. The flexural stiffness is derived by relating the 90-ply elastic modulus reduction, and using the laminate plate theory to the degraded elastic modulus and the intact elastic modulus of other laminates. The natural frequency reduction model, in which the dominant fatigue mode can be identified from the sensitivity scale factors of sublaminate elastic properties, provides natural frequency vs. fatigue cycle curves for the composite laminates. Vibration tests were also conducted on $[{90}_2/0_2]_s$ carbon/epoxy laminates to verify the natural frequency reduction model. Correlations between the predictions of the model and experimental results are good.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.71 no.5
• /
• pp.322-327
• /
• 2011

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii is a fungus that has become an important cause of opportunistic infections. We present a summary of the clinical status and findings from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). Methods: We selected 30 cases of PJP that were proven through a surgical specimen evaluation. BAL fluid cytology was reviewed, and agreement with the initial diagnosis was evaluated. Results: All 30 cases of PJP occurred in immunocompromised patients. Only 15 of the 30 cases were initially diagnosed as PJP. We found PJP in 13 of the 15 cases that were negative at the initial diagnosis. The most characteristic finding of PJP was frothy exudates, and BAL fluid tended to show rare neutrophils. Two of seven patients with PJP and diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) revealed no frothy exudates in BAL fluid. Conclusion: BAL fluid cytology was reconfirmed as a sensitive and rapid method to diagnose PJP. We must be aware of the possibility of PJP to maintain high diagnostic sensitivity. We cannot exclude PJP in cases of PJP with DAD, even if frothy exudates are not observed in the BAL fluid.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.129-135
• /
• 2016

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha ($eIF2{\alpha}$), which is a component of the eukaryotic translation initiation complex, functions in cell death and survival under various stress conditions. In this study, we investigated the roles of $eIF2{\alpha}$ phosphorylation in cell death using the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR. MCF-7/ADR cells are MCF-7-driven cells that have acquired resistance to doxorubicin (ADR). Treatment of doxorubicin reduced the viability and induced apoptosis in both cell lines, although susceptibility to the drug was very different. Treatment with doxorubicin induced phosphorylation of $eIF2{\alpha}$ in MCF-7 cells but not in MCF-7/ADR cells. Basal expression levels of Growth Arrest and DNA Damage 34 (GADD34), a regulator of $eIF2{\alpha}$, were higher in MCF-7/ADR cells compared to MCF-7 cells. Indeed, treatment with salubrinal, an inhibitor of GADD34, resulted in the upregulation of $eIF2{\alpha}$ phosphorylation and enhanced doxorubicin-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7/ADR cells. However, MCF-7 cells did not show such synergic effects. These results suggest that dephosphorylation of $eIF2{\alpha}$ by GADD34 plays an important role in doxorubicin resistance in MCF-7/ADR cells.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.287-294
• /
• 2012

Sedimentary environment in coastal zone has been changing due to a large number of coastal structures and continuous coastal development. As a result, the environment has been changing. In particular, the economic and environmental damage can occur due to cohesive sediment transport closely related with the fate of pollutants. Due to large sea wall construction the ebb dominance in the Mokpo coastal waters has been clearer. Cohesive sediment transport was simulated by the EFDC model. The simulated SS showed good agreements with the observed SS. From the sensitivity analysis of sediment parameters, we found out that the erosion rate, the critical shear stresses for erosion and deposition, and the settling velocity are important factors in cohesive sediment transport modeling.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.263-272
• /
• 2019

This study demonstrates the applicability of the FLO-2D for the influence analysis of the debris flow on expressway. To do this, the behavior of debris flow on the expressway was reproduced by applying the FLO-2D to actual generated debris flow. The study area is a part of the Deokyusan Service Area on the Daejon-Jinju Expressway, where traffic was blocked for 24 hours due to the debris flow in August 2005. Geographical analysis with GIS, hydrological analysis with HEC-HMS, and estimation of the amount of debris flow were carried out using field survey and soil property test data. Then, the optimum parameter combination of FLO-2D was selected through the parameter sensitivity analysis, and the behavior analysis of debris flow on expressway was applied. The comparison of the predictions with the observations shows the availability of FLO-2D for the behavior analysis of debris flow on the expressway.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.12.1-12.11
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The present study evaluated the pulp response of human mandibular incisors subjected to in-office dental bleaching using gels with medium or high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (HP). Materials and Methods: The following groups were compared: 35% HP (HP35; n = 5) or 20% HP (HP20; n = 4). In the control group (CONT; n = 2), no dental bleaching was performed. The color change (CC) was registered at baseline and after 2 days using the Vita Classical shade guide. Tooth sensitivity (TS) was also recorded for 2 days post-bleaching. The teeth were extracted 2 days after the clinical procedure and subjected to histological analysis. The CC and overall scores for histological evaluation were evaluated by the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The percentage of patients with TS was evaluated by the Fisher exact test (α = 0.05). Results: The CC and TS of the HP35 group were significantly higher than those of the CONT group (p < 0.05) and the HP20 group showed an intermediate response, without significant differences from either the HP35 or CONT group (p > 0.05). In both experimental groups, the coronal pulp tissue exhibited partial necrosis associated with tertiary dentin deposition. Overall, the subjacent pulp tissue exhibited a mild inflammatory response. Conclusions: In-office bleaching therapies using bleaching gels with 20% or 35% HP caused similar pulp damage to the mandibular incisors, characterized by partial necrosis, tertiary dentin deposition, and mild inflammation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.12
• /
• pp.4367-4381
• /
• 2023

Nuclear power plants are increasingly being equipped with digital I&C systems. Although some probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) models for the digital I&C of nuclear power plants have been constructed, there is currently no specific internationally agreed guidance for their modeling. This paper presents an initiative by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency called "Digital I&C PSA - Comparative application of DIGital I&C Modelling Approaches for PSA (DIGMAP)", which aimed to advance the field towards practical and defendable modeling principles. The task, carried out in 2017-2021, used a simplified description of a plant focusing on the digital I&C systems important to safety, for which the participating organizations independently developed their own PSA models. Through comparison of the PSA models, sensitivity analyses as well as observations throughout the whole activity, both qualitative and quantitative lessons were learned. These include insights on failure behavior of digital I&C systems, experience from models with different levels of abstraction, benefits from benchmarking as well as major contributors to the core damage frequency and those with minor effect. The study also highlighted the challenges with modeling of large common cause component groups and the difficulties associated with estimation of key software and common cause failure parameters.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.111-120
• /
• 2009

This paper presents a fundamental findings of the functional and structural performance of the porous asphalt concrete coated with MMA resin. To evaluate the structural performance, cantabro, wheel tracking, moisture sensitivity and indirect tensile fatigue tests are performed. The tests results show that the cantabro loss is reduced three times and fatigue resistance is significantly increased after the specimens are coated with MMA resin. However there are little changes in the rutting and moisture damage resistances before and after the coating. Air voids, permeability and BPT(British Pendulum Test) tests are conducted to study the functional performance. It is observed form the tests that the air voids and permeability are slightly decreased after the coating. However, the changes in the air voids and permeability are negligible. The skid resistance of the coated specimens is lower than reference specimens. However, the skid resistance is maintained beyond the level of the reference specimens when silica sands are chipped on top of the coated surface.