Search

Gwanghwamun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace was dismantled and relocated during the Japanese colonial period, destroyed during the Korean War, reconstructed with reinforced concrete in 1968, and finally erected at its present location in 2010. A pair of Haechi statues located in front of Gwanghwamun was dismantled and relocated several times, and the statues have yet to be returned precisely to their original positions. This study assesses the historical accuracy of their current placement under the Gwanghwamun Square Restructuring Project of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Cultural Heritage Administration based on archival photos from the early 1900s, and proposes a method to estimate the original positions of the Haechi through image analysis of contemporary photographs and recent digital camera photos. We estimated the original position of the Haechi before the Japanese colonial period by identifying the shooting location of the archival photo and reproducing contemporary photographs by calculating the angle and distance to the Haechi from the shooting location. The leftmost and rightmost Haechi were originally located about 9.6 m to the east and 7.4 m to the north and about 1.9 m to the west and 8.0 m to the north, respectively, of their current location indicators. As the first attempt to determine the original location of a building and its accessories using archival photos, this study launches a new scientific methodology for the restoration of cultural properties.

Vanadium doped semi-insulating (SI) 6H-SiC {0001} substrates and their wetting properties were characterized using precisely dispensed de-ionized (DI) water drops. Radius, contact angle, width (chord), height and cap volume of a DI water drop on the SiC surface were quantitatively determined by analyzing sideview images of DI water drop in contact with SI 6H-SiC {0001} substrates using image processing software. The average of ten (10) contact angle measurements showed approximately 4 ° difference between the Si-face (48.48°) and the C-face (44.33º). Contact angle on the Si-face (0001) measured after native oxide removal showed significant decrease of contact angle, from 55° to 25° and recovered over time by room temperature oxidation in air. In contrast, contact angle on the C-face (000-1), measured after native oxide removal, showed significant increase of contact angle, from 40° to 54°, and continue to increase contact angle up to 71° after room temperature oxidation for 24 hours in air. Contact angle is found to be very sensitive to SiC surface polarity and specific surface conditions. Contact angle measurement, using image analysis techniques, can be applied as an in-line identification and surface condition characterization technique for SiC polytypes of specific surface polarities.

Colour is a primary characteristic of visual perception and a very important characteristic to describe cultural heritage works in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. To quantify colours, portable colorimeters are often carried and used for measuring colour of interest. Spatial resolution of colorimeters is manufacturer and model dependent and typically worse than 3 - 10 mm in diameter. The colour measurement has to be done on site at the time of interest. It poses very significant limitations in colorimetric characterization of cultural heritages. In this paper, the possibility of extraction of colour information from digital photographs, scanned images and video files using customized image processing/analysis software (PicMan) was investigated for cultural heritage characterization applications. As colour information extraction examples, a commercial Gouache paint colour card, a digital photograph, a portrait of a Korean scholar of Joseon Dynasty and a severely deteriorated old medical text book before and after restoration were examined. Colour information from various digital images was successfully extracted from points and regions of interest in RGB, HSV, L*a*b*, Munsell colour and hexadecimal colour code formats. The spatial resolution of colour information extraction is as small as a single pixel in a digital image.

Introduction Acromial pathologies (AP), such as acromial stress reaction (ASR), acromial stress occult fracture (ASOF), and acromial stress fracture (ASF), are known as complications that deteriorate the clinical score and patient satisfaction after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Several factors that increase stress on the acromion have been reported as risk factors for AP, but this is also unclear. Thecoracoacromial ligament (CAL) is a structure that distributes the stress loading on such an acromion, although its importance has been mentioned, there is a lack of research. Therefore, we investigated the incidence of AP according to the preservation of the CAL and whether it is a risk factor. Methods The study was retrospectively conducted on patients who underwent RSA from 2016 and 2018. Patients with CAL transection was classified into group 1 and CAL preservation was classified into group 2. ASR and ASOF were identified through symptoms and ultrasound, and ASF identified through simple radiograph or computed tomography. The incidence of AP in each group was checked and compared. Results Of the total of 265 patients. Among 197 cases of group 1, 21 cases of ASR(10.7%), 28 cases of ASOF (14.2%),10 cases of ASF (5.1%), and 59 cases of total AP (29.4%). Among 68 cases in group 2, 2 cases (2.9%) of ASR, 6 cases of ASOF(8.8%), 1 case of ASF (1.5%), and 9 cases of total AP (13.2%). It was confirmed that ASR and ASOP were significantly decreased in the group preserving CAL. (P = .008) Conclusion In the case of preservation of CAL during surgery, it was confirmed that the incidence of ASR, ASOF was reduced. Therefore, preservation of CAL can be regarded as a modifiable risk factor that can reduce the risk of AP by distributing the stress applied to acromion after RSA surgery.

Introduction Bisphosphonates are effective in preventing osteoporotic fractures. However, their limited efficacy of bisphosphonates has been suggested as a result of these drugs, which prevent the resorption of bone without improving bone connectivity. The trabecular microarchitecture in patients with osteoporotic hip fractures was evaluated according to their history of bisphosphonate treatment (BT). Methods One hundred thirty-three patients with hip fractures admitted and treated between November 2014 and September 2016. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they had received treatment with bisphosphonates for > 3 years or not [non-bisphosphonate-treated patients (NT)]. One-to-one propensity score matching generated 15 matched pairs of patients. Microstructural parameters of femoral head were measured by using micro-computed tomography (μCT). Mechanical compression test (Young's modulus, yield strength, and maximum compressive force) was performed following μCT. Results Trabecular bone pattern factor (1.15 ± 0.7 mm − 1 versus 1.61 ± 0.5 mm − 1 , p = 0.037) and specific bone surface (14.1 ± 0.8 mm − 1 versus 15.4 ± 1.9 mm − 1 , p = 0.050) were significantly lower in the BT group than in the NT group. Furthermore, Young's modulus was significantly higher in the BT group than in the NT group (72.14 ± 30.75 MPa versus 47.89 ± 29.89 MPa, p = 0.037). In both groups, trabecular bone pattern was the most closely correlated microstructural parameter to bone strength. Microstructural analysis demonstrated that bone connectivity was better preserved in the BT group than in the NT group. Conclusions Bisphosphonate treatment preserves bone mass and bone quality. The factors influencing osteoporotic hip fractures in patients treated with bisphosphonates warrant further research.

To investigate the effect of implantation temperature on the damage to a Si lattice, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra were measured from highly-channeled MeV 11B+ implanted Si wafers with different implant temperatures (25 °C and 450 °C) after annealing at 950 °C for 3 min in N2. Small pieces from the wafers were used for PL characterization. The implanted Si wafer piece at the elevated temperature resulted in higher overall PL intensity under both excitation wavelengths suggesting lesser lattice damage than the Si wafer implanted at room temperature. Unexpectedly large PL intensity variations were observed from PL area mapping of both wafer pieces. In addition, strange behaviors of localized PL intensity variations, with opposite trends between 670 nm and 827 nm excitation PL measurements were observed near the scribe lines and sample number markings on the backside. The PL intensity was increased under 670 nm excitation while it was decreased under 827 nm excitation. Possible reasons for this strange behavior were discussed based on experimental results and analysis. PL measurement is verified to be very sensitive to the surface condition, interface, bulk and backside conditions of the Si. For reliable PL measurement, backside contamination and scratches, such as scribe lines, should be avoided.

Osteoid osteoma frequently requires surgical treatment, especially among young, active patients. However, surgeons are reluctant to perform open surgery for an osteoid osteoma of the femoral neck area because the conventional surgical approach requires a large incision in muscular patients, and percutaneous resection with a trephine has the attendant risk of subsequent fracture. Recently, arthroscopic excision of an osteoid osteoma has been reported as a less invasive, safer procedure than traditional open curettage. Hip arthroscopy using the burr-down technique under C-arm guidance to locate and remove the lesion of the femur neck has also shown promise. The presented technique minimizes muscle damage around the femur and enables surgeons to confirm complete resection of the lesion through direct, detailed visualization. Furthermore, early return to previous activity can be achieved after excising the lesion located at the calcar femorale, which is an area with a heavy weight-bearing load. The objective of this Technical Note was to describe our preferred technique for the surgical excision of osteoid osteoma located at the base of the femoral neck through the use of arthroscopy.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma may account for more than 80% of all pancreatic neoplasms. Occasionally, other rare tumors such as lymphoma, metastatic tumor, and solid pseudopapillary neoplasm can be considered in the differential diagnosis. We report the case of an 82-year-old man with a pancreatic solid mass. This case suggests that endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with biopsy, that is, EUS-FNA is recommended in the differential diagnosis of the pancreatic solid mass apart from pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In particular, the histologic core obtained by EUS-guided biopsy is helpful for the immunostaining of molecular markers to confirm the final diagnosis.

We studied the feasibility of image-based quantitative analysis of foxing stains on collections of old (16th&ndash, 20th century) European books stored in the Rare Book Library of the Seoul National University in Korea. We were able to quantitatively determine the foxing affected areas on books from their photographs using a newly developed image processing software (PicMan) including cultural property characterization applications, specifically. Dimensional and color analysis of photographs were successfully done quantitatively. Histograms of RGB (red, green, blue) pixels of photographs clearly showed the change in color distribution of foxing stains compared to the other areas of the photographs. Several sample images of quantitative measurement of foxing stains and virtually restored images were generated to provide easy visual inspection and comparison between restored images and the original photographs. Image quality, resolution, and digital file format requirements for quantitative analysis are described. Image-based quantitative analysis of foxing stains on paper documents are found to be very promising towards automation for objective characterization of photographs of cultural properties. This technique can be used to create a cultural property digital database. Quantitative and statistical analysis techniques can be introduced to monitor the effect of storage and conservation environment on the cultural properties.

Formation of high integrity junctions with low junction leakage and defects is essential for fabricating high performance devices with advanced node devices. Understanding of implant activation and implant damage recovery mechanisms during annealing process steps is limited. Development of noncontact implant activation and residual damage monitoring techniques would be beneficial.

Microcolumns have a stacked structure composed of an electron emitter, electron lens (source lens), einzel lens, and a deflector manufactured using a micro electro-mechanical system process. The electrons emitted from the tungsten field emitter mostly pass through the aperture holes. However, other electrons fail to pass through because of collisions around the aperture hole. We used Raman scattering measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses to investigate the influence of electron beam bombardment on a Si electron lens irradiated by acceleration voltages of 0, 20, and 30 keV. We confirmed that the crystallinity was degraded, and carbon-related contamination was detected at the surface and edge of the aperture hole of the Si electron lens after electron bombardment for 24 h. Carbon-related contamination on the surface of the Si electron lens was verified by analyzing the Raman spectra of the carbon-deposited Si substrate using DC sputtering and a carbon rod sample. We report the crystallinity and the origin of the carbon-related contamination of electron Si lenses after electron beam bombardment by non-destructive Raman scattering and XPS analysis methods.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Combination therapy of pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN-α) and ribavirin (RBV) is a current standard treatment for chronic HCV infection in Korea, which has considerable adverse effects. Acute pancreatitis is a rare complication of PEG-IFN-α administration. We report a case of a 62-year-old female who experienced acute pancreatitis after 4 weeks of PEG-IFN-α-2a and RBV combination therapy for chronic HCV infection. The main cause of the acute pancreatitis in this case was probably PEG-IFN-α rather than RBV for several reasons. A few cases have been reported in which acute pancreatitis occurred during treatment with PEG-IFN-α-2b. This is the first report of acute pancreatitis associated with PEG-IFN-α-2a in Korea.

We have developed a multi-wavelength, room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) characterization technique and applied it for very low energy and low dose ion implantation process and equipment monitoring. We have tested the sensitivity and stability of the RTPL technique using 200mm p-type Si (100) wafers with 300eV F+ implantation in the dose range of 1.0 × 1011 cm−2 and 1.0 × 1012 cm−2 and found excellent correlation between RTPL intensity and F+ implant dose. We also verified that F+ implantation damage can be cured by subsequent thermal annealing. The RTPL technique is very promising as a practical means of very low energy and low dose ion implant process and equipment monitoring.

The hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) method was used to deposit high-quality InN layers on GaN inter-layer/sapphire (0001) structures that had been fabricated by using either the HVPE method or the metal-organic chemical-phase deposition (MOCVD) method. The effects of the group V/III ratio and different GaN inter-layers on the crystal quality of the InN layers were systemically investigated. The InN layer grown at a low Group V/III ratio revealed a high crystal quality with a two-dimensional (2D) growth mode. Also, the 110.7-nm-thick InN layer grown by using HVPE on a GaN inter-layer/sapphire (0001) substrate structure that had been fabricated by using MOCVD had a high crystal quality, with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the InN X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak being about 844 arcsec, and a smooth surface with an atomic force microscopy (AFM) roughness of about 0.07 nm. On the other hand, the 145.7-nm-thick InN layer grown by using HVPE on a GaN inter-layer/sapphire (0001) substrate structure that had been fabricated by using the HVPE method had a lower crystal quality, a FWHM value for the InN (0002) peak of about 2772 arcsec, and a surface roughness of about 3.73 nm. In addition, the peak of the E2 (high) phonon mode for the 110.7-nm-thick InN layer grown by using HVPE on a GaN inter-layer/sapphire (0001) structure that had been fabricated by using MOCVD was detected at 491 cm -1 and had a FWHM of 9.9 cm-1. As a result, InN layers grown by using HVPE on GaN inter-layer/sapphire (0001) substrate structures fabricated by using MOCVD have a high crystal quality and a reduced Raman value, which agrees well with the results of the XRD analysis.

IR camera has been used widely for the temperature measurement and fault detection of the moving bodies and rotating bodies. The high-speed performance of the IR camera and a reliable thermal analysis method are required for the condition monitoring of the railway vehicle running at high speed. The effective fault detection method using a thermal image analysis could make a real time monitoring of the high speed train possible. Therefore the investigation of the performance of the thermal image analysis method was performed to find the effective analysis method. The results suggested that a continuous temperature subtraction method and the comparison of the characteristics of the image histogram obtained at different conditions could be used as a useful analysis method for detecting abnormal temperature condition.

A Fast Steering Mirror (FSM) of large diameter has been designed, built and tested. In order to make continuous tracking ability without loss of a target image, the FSM should be equipped with a large scale mirror for a wide field of view and require a high control bandwidth to reduce the tracking error. The design intricacies and trade-offs among various parameters of the FSM of large diameter to meet the desired goals are discussed. Finally, this device steers the large aperture mirror about two axes, achieving the operating range of 1mradian and a small-signal closed-loop bandwidth up to 500Hz which is greater than the structural resonance.

This study was aimed at investigating a filtration bed system for the production of liquid fertilizer using wastewater generated after anaerobic digestion of animal manure. Slurry, Compost, & Biofiltration-Methane System, designed by Korean National Institute of Animal Science, is now a standard method to recycle anaerobic digestion wastewater. However, currently provided protocol to run the system needs continuous upgrades as the system is relatively new and can be more cost-effective if few adjustments are made. In this study, we tried to enhance the capability of the system to process anaerobic digestion wastewater by replacing the bed materials with the cheaper one, and determining the time point of operation from which filtrates can be utilized for fertilization.

Recently, Korea has enacted the Framework Act on Product Safety to allow comprehensive control of product safety accidents. This is a government policy aiming to ensure product safety and customer protection by strengthening the obligation of producers. However, the framework has not yet been completed in Korea. Therefore, this paper deals with improvement assignments and directions by comparing the frameworks of applied in Korea and Japan for ensuring such production safety. Product Safety Ensuring system Korea Japan 최근 우리나라는 제품 안전사고에 대한 종합적 관리를 위하여 제품안전기본법을 도입하 였다. 이는 제조자에 대한 제품제조 책임을 강화하여 소비자보호는 물론 제품안전을 확 보하기 위한 정부정책이다. 그러나 우리나라의 제품안전 확보체계는 아직 완전하지 않 다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 한국과 일본에 적용되고 있는 제품안전 확보체계에 대한 비교 를 통해 우리나라의 제품안전 확보체계의 개선과제 및 발전방향에 대하여 제시하였다. 제품 안전 확보체계 한국 일본 c 2014 Korea Society of Disaster Information All rights reserved 안전기준 비교분석연구: 한국과 일본의 제품안전 확보체계를 중심으로 Comparative Study of Safety Regulations: Focused on the Applied Frameworks of ensuring product safety in Korea and Japan Jung-Gon Kim, Tae-Hwan Kim a Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan b Department of Security Service, Yongin University, 134, Yongindaehak-ro, Cheoin, Yongin, Gyeonggi, 449-714, Republic of Korea * Corresponding author. Tel. 81-75-383-2943. Fax. 81-75-383-2944 Email. garoo72@gmail.com 1 Tel. 81-075-383-2943. Email. garoo72@gmail.com 2 Tel. 82-010-3792-4214. Email. taehwan@yongin.ac.kr ARTICLE HISTORY Received Mar. 10, 2014 Revised Mar. 11, 2014 Accepted Mar. 19, 2014 Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information Vol.10 No.1 ❙ pp.116 122 Available online at www.kosdi.or.kr 1976-2208 c 2014 Korea Society of Disaster Information All rights reserved. J. G. Kim et al. Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information Vol.10, No.1, pp. 116 122, 2014

This study aims to propose basic data for improvements that can actively respond to climate change in the Green Building Certifications that came into effect in March 2013, including the analysis of evaluation criteria and applications. In response to climate change, Green Building Certifications in developed countries such as BREEAM(UK), LEED(USA), DGNB(Germany), and CASBEE(Japan), have been extended to the neighborhood unit or city levels, i.e., BREEAM Communities, LEED Neighborhood Development, DGNB Stadtquartiere, CASBEE Urban Development. On the other hand, for the Green Building Certifications in Korea, some criteria such as indoor environment and energy have been given more emphasis than others such as external environment(land use, traffic, ecological environment). In addition, results from the analysis of the evaluation scores on the external environment of 79 housing complexes show that the score on the indoor environment and energy determines the evaluation grade, whereas the score on the external environment is less weighted and has less impact. Therefore, the new evaluation system for the Green Building Certifications responding to climate change should be extended from building level to urban district levels.Key words: Climate Change, Green Building Certifications, Improving, Survey, Housing, External Environment LHI Journal (2013) 4(4):435-447 http://dx.doi.org/10.5804/LHIJ.2013.4.4.435http://lhi.lh.or.kr

High-speed gap measurement in the nano/micrometer range presents unique engineering challenges. A signal conditioner is required for capacitive sensors to amplify, denoise, and restrict the bandwidth. In this work, a capacitive sensor was used in combination with a SAW device that serves as a signal conditioner. The proposed system provides 2.75 MHz bandwidth through amplitude modulation using the center frequency of the SAW device as a carrier signal and has outstanding signal conditioning capabilities. Construction and characterization of a SAW-based capacitive gap sensor to measure a 200 Hz gap frequency are described.

To increase the near-field coupling efficiency in a near-field recording (NFR) system, extremely small air gap (less than 100 nm) between the solid immersion lens (SIL) and media should be maintained. However, maintaining the air gap is very important and difficult. Despite various anti-shock control methods, there are physical limitations to controlling the air gap against external shock. A safety mode that moves the actuator to the initial position for large external shock is currently being used. The existing safety mode exhibits good performance for downward shocks of 6 G amplitude and 10 ms duration time, but some problems arise for upward shocks of 3 G amplitude and 10 ms duration time. To avoid collision for upward and downward shocks, we present an improved safety mode that considers the direction of the external shock for an SIL-based near-field recording system. We analyzed the upward and downward shock responses of the NFR system. The shape of the pulse input was designed to minimize the overshoot of the actuator. Through various experiments, the amplitude and duration time of the pulse input were optimized. Even with an upward shock with 8 G and 10 ms, no collision was observed between the actuator and the media by using the improved safety mode with the optimized pulse input.

This paper aims to improve the robustness of the air-gap controller for a solid immersion lens (SIL)-based near-field (NF) storage system against dynamic disturbances, such as external shocks. The robust control system is essential in NF data storage technology because the nanoscale gap distance between the SIL and the disk is 50 nm or less. Also, the air-gap distance must be maintained without physical contact between the SIL and the disk to evaluate the efficient reading and recording signals when an external shock is applied. Therefore, we propose an improved air-gap control algorithm with an acceleration feedforward controller (AFC) using time delay to maintain the nanoscale air-gap distance without collision for a 5.76 G at 10 ms shock. Thus, the anti-shock control performance for the SIL-based NF storage system in the presence of external shocks is markedly improved. Furthermore, to enhance the performance of the anti-shock air-gap control with AFC using time delay, we use the AFC using time delay with a double disturbance observer (DOB). As a result, the air-gap distance is controlled without contact for a 6.85 G@10 ms shock.

Nano-precision gap measurement in the sub-micron range presents its own unique engineering challenge. The popular capacitive sensor platform, for example, is susceptible to the erroneous effect of electrode tilting and high noise floor, both of which are exacerbated by the small form factor required of a nano-precision gap sensor. In this paper, a capacitive gap sensor with a hemispherical electrode, used in combination with a SAW filter is presented. The proposed system outperforms the existing ones on two fronts. First, the system is virtually immune to the effect of electrode tilting due to the improved capacitor geometry. Second, it benefits from the outstanding signal conditioning capability of the SAW filter. Construction and characterization of a SAW-based capacitive gap sensor having resolution as fine as 10 nm are described.

This paper deals with the development of information system for steel fabricator to manage its production and delivery works. Each fabricator has different production and quality management capabilities. However, most of the proposed information models for steel construction management have focused upon the construction site for delivery and erection of structural steel members. Moreover, each fabricator’s individual properties have never been appropriately considered in the development of information system. In Japan, steel fabricators developed their specialization depending upon new projects contracted through their general contractors and their fabrication capabilities. Therefore, the development of information systems to support steel fabricator’s work should take in to consideration, the type of fabricator involved and their work process. In addition, interoperability with stakeholders, such as the client, the designer, and the general contractor should also be taken in to account. Introducing the surveyed results of large-sized fabricator’s works and their information systems based upon barcodes, to support steel fabricator’s production work, such as material tracking, inventory management, and performance measuring, we discuss fabricator’s information systems and developmental assignment to extend the applications throughout the fabricator’s overall work stages for steel member production.

In Japan, over the last 50 years, quality management of construction projects has come to involve many important issues. Moreover, it is now emphasized in all area of manufacturing. However, it may prove difficult or impossible to assure satisfactory quality, relying only upon laws and regulations concerned with quality measurement. In practical terms, construction projects involve a complex interplay of material and human resources in order to complete projects. The wide variety of construction site engineers have expert knowledge and experience as concerns their work. Thus, it is necessary to teach the fundamentals of site work and techniques as well as safety rules, in order to achieve high quality by performing their work accurately. But the education system for site engineers in Japan has been changed several times over past decades taking in to account social and economic movements, and technical evolutions. This paper introduces the historical variation of the education system for site engineers in Japan as compared with issues and responses, such as historical construction accidents, revised regulations, and the changing education system for site engineers from the 1960s to the present.

In a previous issue published in Gut and Liver, we found that erosive changes in the esophagogastroduodenal mucosa were strongly correlated with increased levels of volatile sulfur-containing compounds (VSC), suggesting that halitosis could be a symptom reflecting the erosive status of the upper gut mucosa. Together with other studies showing a possible association between halitosis and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), under the premise that halitosis could be one of extraesophageal manifestations of erosive GERD (ERD), we investigated the significance of Halimeter ppb levels on ERD compared to non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (NERD).Subjects were assigned to the NERD group if there was no evidence of esophageal erosive changes on endoscopy, despite reflux symptoms, and to the ERD group if they had GERD A, B, C, or D (according to the Los Angeles classification). The VSC levels were measured in all patients with either a Halimeter (before endoscopy) or by gas chromatography of the gastric juices aspirated during endoscopy.The VSC level differed significantly between the NERD and ERD groups (p0.0001), suggesting that this can be used to discriminate between NERD and ERD. However, the VSC level did not differ significantly with the severity of GERD. Even though hiatal hernia and a body mass index of24 kg/m(2) was significantly associated with ERD, there was no correlation with Halimeter ppb levels. Minimal-change lesions exhibited the highest VSC levels, signifying that minimal change lesions can be classified as ERD based on our finding that halimeter ppb levels were descrimitive of erosive change.Erosive changes in the esophageal mucosa were strongly associated with VSC levels, supporting the hypothesis that halitosis can be a potential biomarker for the discrimination between ERD and NERD, reflecting the presence of erosive change in the lower esophagogastric junction.

In this paper, the optimized anti-shock control algorithm is developed and implemented in an solid immersion lens (SIL)-based near-field (NF) storage systems to improve air gap control performance during dynamic conditions. Accordingly, to detect the stable gap error signal under continuous operating conditions, the air gap control performance must be increased to avoid collisions due to external shocks. In this study, we propose an anti-shock air gap control system using a double disturbance observer (DOB) and a dead-zone non-linear controller. Experimental results demonstrate that a double DOB with a dead-zone non-linear controller maintained the optical head with SIL optics for a 5.31 G@10 ms shock. Thus, the air gap control performance in the presence of external shocks was improved.

In this paper, we propose an effective error and erasure decoding scheme with multi-level erasure-decision threshold for Reed-Solomon (RS) codes in frequency-hopped multiple-access communications with MFSK signaling, and analyze its performance. RS coding is used to correct erasures and errors caused by other-user interference and thermal noise. The proposed decoder decides whether to erase the received RS code symbol based on the erasure decision threshold. The decision criteria for the erasure decision threshold are suggested in such a way that channel throughput can be maximized. Numerical results show that the proposed multi-level threshold control decoding scheme yields a higher throughput over a conventional decoding cases

We introduce a method to align the angle of reference beam holographic data storage by using a photodiode in front of image sensor, the brightness of information data can be easily extracted. From the output of the photodiode, we can quickly find the optimal angle for readout beam

An longitudinal-optic-phonon-plasmon coupled mode (LOPC) has been clearly observed by Raman scattering in n-type AlxGa1−xN films with x ∼ 0.67 and different carrier densities n = 1 × 1017-9 × 1017 cm−3. The A1-LO-phonon mode showed a systematic frequency shift and broadening with increasing n. This is a characteristic behavior of LOPC as previously observed in n-type binary semiconductors. A theoretical line-shape fitting analysis was conducted for the LOPC profile using n and plasmon-damping rate as adjustable parameter. Assuming m*/m0 = 0.28 for the longitudinal effective mass of electron, the analysis well reproduced carrier density and mobility deduced by Hall measurement.

A near-field storage system using a solid immersion lens (SIL) has been studied as a high-density optical disc drive system. The major goal of this research is to improve the robustness of the air-gap controller for a SIL-based near-field recording (NFR) system against dynamic disturbances, such as external shocks. The servo system is essential in near-field (NF) technology because the nanogap distance between the SIL and the disc is 50 nm or less. Also, the air-gap distance must be maintained without collision between the SIL and the disc to detect a stable gap error and read-out signals when an external shock is applied. Therefore, we propose an improved air-gap control algorithm using only an acceleration feedforward controller (AFC) to maintain the air-gap distance without contact for a 4.48 G at 10 ms shock. Thus, the antishock control performance for the SIL-based NF storage system in the presence of external shocks is markedly improved. Furthermore, to enhance the performance of the antishock air-gap control, we use the AFC with a double disturbance observer and a dead-zone nonlinear controller. As a result, the air-gap distance is maintained without contact for a 6.56 G@10 ms shock.

In the near field recording (NFR) system, there always exists the possibility of collision between solid imersion lens (SIL) and media owing to dust, scratches on the media, and external shock because of the extremely small gap distance. The kinetic energy associated with damage from shock is directly proportional to the square of velocity, and the phase of velocity is faster than the phase of displacement with 90°. Thus, it is effective to prevent a collision on the basis of velocity information. The velocity of the actuator in the NFR system should be estimated by an observer without using a velocity sensor. In this paper, we propose an improved protection process with a mode switching servo method using a Luenberger observer. The gap distance state can be estimated earlier by detecting the velocity state yielded by external shock. Through simulations and experiments, we confirm that the protection process based on velocity and gap distance is more powerful than the protection process based only on the gap distance.

Background: The aims of this study were to find the incidence and clinical features of Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with unfractionated heparin. Methods: The medical records of 554 patients treated with unfractionat ed heparin (UFH) for their coronary artery diseases at the Gachon Medical School Gil Heart Center during 2002~2003. were retrospectively reviewed. The gourp eligible group inclusion in this study was comprised of 338 patients with acute coronary syndrome Results: The median duration of UFH administration was 6 days, ranging from 1 to 22 days. Among the eligible patients, 40 (11.8%) received UFH for >96 hours, and developed thrombocytopenia, which involved a platelet count decrease to less than 100,000 per cubic millimeter or a 50% or greater decrease in the platelet count. Conclusion: Despith the limitations of retrospective analyses, the present study shows that thrombocy- topenia is relatively common in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with UFH, but did not account for HIT associated complication, such as thrombosis. When clinicians recognize the development of HIT without a thrombocytopenia related disease, many will stop the use of heparin for its management.

A simple estimation method of the distortion caused by the discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficient dropping for rate adaptation is presented. The proposed method is based on the investigation of statistical and empirical properties of the distortion, and then modelled in a monotonically decreased manner. It is expected that the method can be employed to allocate effectively the distortion among frames in coefficient drop transcoding applications.