• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.327-336
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• 2024

Evaluation of tunnel performance in seismic-prone areas demands efficient means of estimating performance at different hazard levels. The present study introduces an innovative push-over analysis approach which employs the standard earthquake spectrum to simulate the performance of a tunnel. The numerical simulation has taken into account the lining and surrounding rock to calculate the rock-tunnel interaction subjected to a static push-over displacement regime. Elastic perfectly plastic models for the lining and hardening strain rock medium were used to portray the development of plastic hinges, nonlinear deformation, and performance of the tunnel structure. Separately using a computational algorithm, the non-linear response spectrum was approximated from the average shear strain of the rock model. A NATM tunnel in Turkey was chosen for parametric study. A seismic performance curve and two performance thresholds are introduced that are based on the proposed nonlinear seismic static loading approach and the formation of plastic hinges. The tunnel model was also subjected to a harmonic excitation with a smooth response spectrum and different amplitudes in the fully-dynamic phase to assess the accuracy of the approach. The parametric study investigated the effects of the lining stiffness and capacity and soil stiffness on the seismic performance of the tunnel.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 1971

Physiological analysis of the physical exercise was made on 9 subjects performing mountain climbing. The course between two points (256 and 516 meters altitude) was 1,300 meters in distance and difference of vertical height was 260 meters making the mean grade of 20%. In the field, the heart rates during uphill or downhill walk were recorded by EKG radio-telemetry. In the laboratory, oxygen consumption was obtained by the recorded heart rates, using individual heart rate vs oxygen consumption diagram obtained by treadmill test. the following results were obtained. 1. Uphill walk time was 36.5 minutes, and during this period the mean heart rate was 149.0 heats/min and peak heart rate was 169.2 beats/min. The total heart beats during the uphill walk was 5.433 beats. 2. The ratio of individual mean heart rate during the uphill walk to the maximal heart rate distributed between 66.6% and 98.3%, and the mean of the total group was 83.1%. The ratio of peak heart rate of uphill walk to the maximal heart rate was 94.5% in the group. Thus uphill walk of a 20% grade mountain course was an exhaustive exercise. 3. Oxygen consumption during uphill walk was 2.22 l/min (ranged between 1.79 and 2.70 l/min) and the ratio of this to the resting oxygen consumption was 8.31. The peak value of oxygen consumption during uphill walk was 2.73 l/min and the ratio of this to the resting oxygen consumption was 10.39. 4. Energy expenditure during uphill walk showed a mean of 11.1 kcal/min and the peak expenditure rate was 13.6 kcal/min. The total energy expenditure during 36.5 minutes of uphill walk was 396 kcal. 5. In downhill walk, the time was 31.7 minutes, mean heart rate was 118.4 (ranged between 100.1 and 142.7) beats/min, and the peak heart rate was only 129.4 beats/min. The ratio of mean heart rate to the maximal heart rate was 66.3%. Total heart beats during downhill walk was 3,710 beats. The ratio of downhill oxygen consumption to the resting consumption was 5.70. The rate of energy expenditure was 7.5 kcal/min, and the total onery expenditure during the 31.7 minutes of downhill walk was 228 kcal. 6. The effect of training was manifest in the uphill walk and not in the downhill walk. After training in mountain course walk, i) the uphill time was shortened, ii) mean heart rate increased, iii) time vs heart rate curve became smooth and showed less frequent zig-zag, i.e., the depth of trough on the curve decreased and the magnitude was less than 10 beats. In non-trained subject the depth of trough on the curve was greater than 50 beats and appeared more frequently. 7. Mountain climbing is a good health promotion exercise. For the promotion of health the reasonable amount of uphill mountain walk exercise in a 20% grade course is a walk for 40 or 50 minutes duration once a week.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.23-23
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• 2003

It has been suggested that the impairment of smooth muscle cell (SMC) function by alterations in the $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^{+}$ ( $K_{Ca}$ ) channels accounts for the reduction in coronary reserve during left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, this hypothesis has not been fully investigated. The main goal of this study was to assess whether the properties of $K_{Ca}$ channels in coronary SMCs were altered during LVH. New Zealand white rabbits (0.8-1.0 kg) and Sprague-Dawley rats (300-400 g) were randomly selected to receive either an injection of isoproterenol (300 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg body weight) or an equal volume of 0.9％ saline (1 mL/kg body weight). The animals developed LVH 10 days after injection. In patch-clamp experiments, the unitary current amplitude and open probability for the $K_{Ca}$ channels were significantly reduced in LVH patches compared with control patches. The concentration-response curve of the $K_{Ca}$ channel to [C $a^{2+}$]$_{i}$ was shifted to the right. Inhibition of the $K_{Ca}$ channels with TEA was more pronounced in LVH cells than in the control cells. The whole-cell currents of $K_{Ca}$ channels were reduced during LVH. Western blot analysis indicated no differences in $K_{Ca}$ channel expression between the control and LVH coronary SM membranes. In contraction experiments, the effect of a high $K^{+}$concentration on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was greater than on that of the control. The effect of TEA on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was reduced as compared with the effect on the control. Our findings imply a novel mechanism for reduced coronary reserve during LVH.ing LVH.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.503-516
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• 2020

KCNQ family constitutes slowly-activating potassium channels among voltage-gated potassium channel superfamily. Recent studies suggested that KCNQ4 and 5 channels are abundantly expressed in smooth muscle cells, especially in lower urinary tract including corpus cavernosum and that both channels can exert membrane stabilizing effect in the tissues. In this article, we examined the electrophysiological characteristics of overexpressed KCNQ4, 5 channels in HEK293 cells with recently developed KCNQ-specific agonist. With submicromolar EC₅₀, the drug not only increased the open probability of KCNQ4 channel but also increased slope conductance of the channel. The overall effect of the drug in whole-cell configuration was to increase maximal whole-cell conductance, to prolongate the activation process, and left-shift of the activation curve. The agonistic action of the drug, however, was highly attenuated by the co-expression of one of the β ancillary subunits of KCNQ family, KCNE4. Strong in vitro interactions between KCNQ4, 5 and KCNE4 were found through Foster Resonance Energy Transfer and co-immunoprecipitation. Although the expression levels of both KCNQ4 and KCNE4 are high in mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cells, we found that 1 μM of the agonist was sufficient to almost completely relax phenylephrine-induced contraction of the muscle strip. Significant expression of KCNQ4 and KCNE4 in corpus cavernosum together with high tonic contractility of the tissue grants highly promising relaxational effect of the KCNQ-specific agonist in the tissue.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.829-839
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• 2021

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced radial T1-weighted gradient-echo 3-tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) for the detection of visceral pleural surface invasion (VPSI). Visceral pleural invasion by non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be classified into two types: PL1 (without VPSI), invasion of the elastic layer of the visceral pleura without reaching the visceral pleural surface, and PL2 (with VPSI), full invasion of the visceral pleura. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients with pathologically confirmed VPSI by NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed. Multidetector CT and contrast-enhanced 3T MRI with a free-breathing radial three-dimensional fat-suppressed volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) pulse sequence were compared in terms of the length of contact, angle of mass margin, and arch distance-to-maximum tumor diameter ratio. Supplemental evaluation of the tumor-pleura interface (smooth versus irregular) could only be performed with MRI (not discernible on CT). Results: At the tumor-pleura interface, radial VIBE MRI revealed a smooth margin in 20 of 21 patients without VPSI and an irregular margin in 10 of 12 patients with VPSI, yielding an accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and F-score for VPSI detection of 91%, 83%, 95%, 91%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. The McNemar test and receiver operating characteristics curve analysis revealed no significant differences between the diagnostic accuracies of CT and MRI for evaluating the contact length, angle of mass margin, or arch distance-to-maximum tumor diameter ratio as predictors of VPSI. Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced radial T1-weighted gradient-echo 3T MRI and CT were equal in terms of the contact length, angle of mass margin, and arch distance-to-maximum tumor diameter ratio. The advantage of MRI is its clear depiction of the tumor-pleura interface margin, facilitating VPSI detection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 1998

In order to investigate the impact properties of structural materials for LNG tank, instrumented Charpy impact tests were carried out at cryogenic temperatures. $9\%$ Ni steel showed a superior fracture resistance because of less degradation in toughness until 77 K. From the load-deflection curve obtained by an instrumented methods it was found that with the decrease of temperature from 173 K to 77 K, the peak load in the curve increased, but the total absorbed energy decreased. In addition, the energy absorbed during the crack growth was larger than one absorbed in the process of crack initiation. In SUS304L material, the energy absorbed in the process of the crack initiation was relatively large, but the energy absorbed in the process of crack growth was small, the behavior of absorbed energy was well agreed with the observations of the fracture surface which showed a relatively smooth fracture surface. The absorbed Charpy impact energy in the case of A5083 alloy was lower as compared with other steels, and some cracks were observed along the crack propagation direction at the fracture surface of 77 K.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.125-131
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• 2013

We present the relation between the genus in cosmology and the Betti numbers for excursion sets of three- and two-dimensional smooth Gaussian random fields, and numerically investigate the Betti numbers as a function of threshold level. Betti numbers are topological invariants of figures that can be used to distinguish topological spaces. In the case of the excursion sets of a three-dimensional field there are three possibly non-zero Betti numbers; ${\beta}_0$ is the number of connected regions, ${\beta}_1$ is the number of circular holes (i.e., complement of solid tori), and ${\beta}_2$ is the number of three-dimensional voids (i.e., complement of three-dimensional excursion regions). Their sum with alternating signs is the genus of the surface of excursion regions. It is found that each Betti number has a dominant contribution to the genus in a specific threshold range. ${\beta}_0$ dominates the high-threshold part of the genus curve measuring the abundance of high density regions (clusters). ${\beta}_1$ dominates the genus near the median thresholds which measures the topology of negatively curved iso-density surfaces, and ${\beta}_2$ corresponds to the low-threshold part measuring the void abundance. We average the Betti number curves (the Betti numbers as a function of the threshold level) over many realizations of Gaussian fields and find that both the amplitude and shape of the Betti number curves depend on the slope of the power spectrum n in such a way that their shape becomes broader and their amplitude drops less steeply than the genus as n decreases. This behaviour contrasts with the fact that the shape of the genus curve is fixed for all Gaussian fields regardless of the power spectrum. Even though the Gaussian Betti number curves should be calculated for each given power spectrum, we propose to use the Betti numbers for better specification of the topology of large scale structures in the universe.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2010

Purpose : To examine the imaging findings of mucinous breast carcinoma and to evaluate the difference in these findings based on the histopathologic grade. Materials and Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the imaging features according to BI-RADS in 29 patients with surgically proven mucinous carcinoma. The histopathologic grade was classified as well-differentiated, moderately-differentiated and poorly-differentiated. Based on these criteria, the differences in imaging findings were statistically analyzed. Results : Mammography was available in 20 cases, which contained 17 mass lesions (85%) and 3 cases of normal findings. On ultrasonography (27 cases), mucinous carcinoma was observed as a mass with an oval shape (59.3%), a microlobulated margin (55.6%) or an inhomogeneous isoechogenicity (74.1%). On MRI (21 cases), mucinous carcinoma was commonly observed to have a lobular shape (76%), smooth margin (86%) or heterogeneous contrast-enhancement (61.9%). On the kinetic curve, there was a delayed wash-out pattern (52.3%). There were no significant differences in the imaging findings for each histopathologic grade except that a welldifferentiated tumor had an abrupt interface. Conclusion : A well-differentiated mucinous carcinoma tended to have an abrupt interface on ultrasonography, as compared with the moderately-differentiated one. Mucinous carcinoma showed a heterogeneous enhancement and a delayed washout kinetic curve pattern on dynamic MRI.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-29
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• 1961

A routine hematological observation in the course of starvation was carried out on eight experimentel1y starved rabbits. They were strictly selected and restricted all of food intake with the exception of optional water intake until death. The body weight of each rabbit on the day before starvation was about 2 kilograms. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The average decrememt ratio of body weight on the terminal day before death was $34.3{\pm}7.5$ per cent with the range from 24.5 to 46.3 per cent. The average life duration until death was $10.25{\pm}2.6$ days, the range being from 6 to 14 days. 2. The decrease in number of reticulocytes with a parallel disappearance of polychromatic erythrocytes in peripheral blood in the course of starvation Was the most remarkable change in erythrocytic series, an evidence suggesting marked restriction of the erythropoietic function on 3rd to 4th day and almost complete suspension in about a week of starvation. 3. Erythrocyte count, hemoglobin content and haematocrit value of peripheral blood, were normal or indicative of slight hemoconcentration. 4. Mean Corpuscular Hemogloin Concentration was slightly higher than normal and Mean Corpuscular Volume tended to be low and no appreciable shifts were observed in Mean Corpuscular Diameter and Price-Jones curve of erythrocytes, while fewer macrocytes than normal were seen. These changes were considered to have resulted from a marked decrease in young erythrocytes in peripheral blood in the course of starvation. 5. Neither poikilccytoses or anisosytosis was observed. 6. Leukopenia was observed in all of 8 starved rabbits. The decrement ratio on the terminal day of starvation was between 13 to 64 per cent. The leukopenia was mainly due to fall of lymphocytes in 6 cases and to fall of neutrophilic leukocytes in the other 2 cases. In many cases, irregular fluctuation of neutrophilic leukocytes in its biological curve were seen in contrast to the relatively smooth changes of lymphocytes. Eosinophilic leukocytes tended to decrease in absolute number especially in later stage of starvation. Little significance in regard to monocytes and basophilic leukocytes in this study was discussed. 7. Proplasma cells, rarely plasma cells, appeared with a tendency to increase in number at later stage of starvation. 8. The most characteristic changes on circulating blood cells in complete starvation of rabbits were the leukoponia and failure of regeneration of erythroctes. These changes were considered as adaptive phenomena in response to the catabolic consumption of body constituents.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 1996

Many efforts for finding smooth curves and surfaces satisfying given constraints have been made, and interpolation and approximation theories with the help of computers have played an important role in this endeavour. Most research in curve and surface modeling has been largely dominated by the theory of parametric representations. While they have been successfully used in representing physical objects, parametric surfaces are confronted with some problems when objects are represented and manipulated in geometric modeling systems. In recent year, increasing attention has been paid to implicit algebraic surfaces since they are often more effective than parametric surfaces are. In this paper, we summarize the geometric properties and computational processes of objects represented using implicit algebraic functions and explain of the implementation of design tools which can design curves and surfaces of revolution. These surfaces of revolution are played an importance role in effective areas such as CAD and CAM.