Considering the various health problems associated with obesity in dogs, including renal diseases, joint disorders, and skin diseases, effective management strategies and guidelines are urgently needed. This situation has led to a growing demand for veterinary medications aimed at addressing obesity in dogs. However, the field faces a significant hurdle due to the absence of standardized guidelines for assessing the effectiveness of these anti-obesity medications in dogs. In response to this gap, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) in Korea has made a crucial step by introducing clinical trial guidelines to evaluate the efficacy of treatments for canine obesity, specifically aimed at approving veterinary medicinal products. The guidelines outlined the selection criteria for target dogs, highlighting the importance of consistency within the control and treated groups. Treatment efficacy is subsequently evaluated by physical examination, body fat reduction, and biochemical indicators. In addition, the guidelines cover dosage and administration, monitoring after dosing, and statistical analysis. By doing so, this guideline not only highlights the significance of the APQA’s initiative in improving the care of obese dogs but also provides practical insights to enhance the standardization and effectiveness of clinical trials in veterinary medicine.

The interface area of the face sheet and core of the sandwich composite is seen as a weakness due to its low de-bonding toughness. To overcome this concern, it is critical to develop a suitable modification strategy to enhance the de-bonding toughness of the face sheet/core interface. In the present study, the corrugated core reinforced sandwich composite was prepared through co-curing and secondary bonding approaches. The MWCNTs reinforced adhesive was induced in the face sheet/core interface in different weight concentrations. The MWCNT-reinforced adhesive was prepared using the sonication technique, and its dispersion was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The three-point bending test revealed that sandwich composite prepared using the co-cure method has higher flexural strength than secondary bonded samples due to better bonding face sheet and corrugated core. Compared with MWCNT-free corrugated core reinforced co-cured sandwich composites (CCSC), the flexural strength of 1 wt.% MWWCNT-induced sandwich composite was increased by 101.28%. The microstructural study showed that secondary bonded samples had extensive fibre breakage at the face plate due to early de-bonding of the face sheet and corrugated core. Furthermore, the free vibrational analysis was performed to evaluate the natural frequency and damping values of the corrugated core reinforced sandwich composite. The modal test results indicated that inducing 1wt.% MWCNTs in the face sheet/core interface had enhanced the natural frequencies of co-cured sandwich composites. The present study provides a suitable method to address the weaker de-bonding toughness concerns of face sheet/core interface region of sandwich structures.

국토 대부분인 산지로 구성된 국내의 특성상 대형 산불 사례가 지속적으로 보고되고 있으며, 동해안에서 다발적으로 발생하 는 과거 대비 최근 서해안의 산림원이 확대됨에 따라 점차 전국화되고 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 이러한 산불 발생 주기의 증가로 인한 산지에 설치되어 있는 사방댐의 산불에 의한 영향성 평가를 수행하였다. 대상 구조물은 선행 연구에서 사용된 강재, GFRP 및 CFRP를 사용한 투과형 사방댐으로 선정하였으며, 각 재료별 구조재를 사용한 투과형 사방댐의 안전성 평가를 위해 상용 유한요소해석 프로그램인 ABAQUS를 활용하였다. 해석 결과, 600℃ 수준에서 파괴가 발생한 강재 구조재에 반해 FRP 구조재는 800℃ 이상에도 파 괴되지 않음을 확인하였다. 또한, FRP 구조재는 강재 대비 10.30%∼11.20% 가량 낮은 응력 수준을 보였으며, 최대 변위는 약 73.1배, 17.9배 증가하는 것으로 측정되었다. 콘크리트로 구성된 댐체의 경우, 구조재의 설치부에 응력이 집중됨을 알 수 있으며, 압축 측은 모 든 구조재에서 안전한 것으로 나타났지만, 인장 측은 600℃ 이상에서 모든 구조재의 댐체 콘크리트가 파괴됨을 확인하였다. 따라서, 사 방댐 설계 시 이러한 강도 감소를 충분히 고려할 필요가 있을 것으로 사료된다. 댐체와 구조재가 연결되는 고정부의 경우, GFRP 및 CFRP 구조재가 강재 구조재 대비 약 82.43%, 67.63% 감소된 반력을 보이는 것으로 확인되었다. 이러한 결과는 FRP 구조재의 높은 변위가 하중을 소산하여 고정부에 적은 영향을 미치는 것으로 생각된다. 결론적으로, FRP 구조재를 사용하는 것은 기존 강재 구조재 대비 고온 저항성 측면에서 다양한 이점을 얻을 수 있으나, 수치해석적 접근법으로 평가된 결과이므로 향후 지속적인 연구로 신뢰성을 검증할 필요가 있다.

In this study, various pre-treatment methods were evaluated for microalgae separation. These methods aimed to facilitate safe, rapid, and cost-effective online imaging for real-time observation and cell counting. As pre-treatment techniques, heating, chemical hydrolysis, heating combined with chemical hydrolysis, and sonication were employed. The effectiveness of these methods was evaluated in the context of online imaging quality through experimentation on cultivated microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus quadricauda). The chemical treatment method was found to be inappropriate for improving image acquisition. The heating pre-treatment method exhibited a drawback of prolonged cell dispersion time. Additionally, the heating combined with chemical hydrolysis method was confirmed to have the lowest dispersion effect for Chlorella vulgaris. Conversely, ultrasonication emerged as a promising technique for microalgae separation in terms of repeatability and reproducibility. This study suggests the potential for selecting optimal pre-treatment methods to effectively operate real-time online monitoring devices, paving the way for future research and applications in microalgae cultivation and imaging.

자율주행차량의 첨단 운전자 보조 시스템(ADAS)의 발전은 자율주행차량의 상용화를 가속화하고 있지만, 그 안전성을 입증하기 위한 충분한 테스트와 검증이 필요하다. 실제 차량을 이용한 대규모 테스트는 비용과 시간뿐만 아니라 다양한 시나리오를 구현하고 평가하 는 데 어려움이 있어, 다수의 연구자들은 시뮬레이션을 활용하고 있다. 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해, 본 연구에서는 차량 시뮬레이션 소프트웨어인 CarMaker와 교통 흐름 시뮬레이션인 VISSIM을 결합하여 공동으로 시뮬레이션을 진행한다. 또한 두 시뮬레이션의 장점 을 결합하여 자율주행차량의 데이터를 보다 포괄적으로 분석할 수 있는 프레임워크를 제안한다. 시뮬레이션 결과, 각각의 시뮬레이션 에서 얻은 Ego Vehicle의 속도 값은 미세한 차이를 보였으며, 이는 실시간 시뮬레이션의 통신 과정에서 발생하는 오류로 해석된다. 또 한, 특정 시나리오에서는 차량이 급정지 후 출발하는 형태를 보였으며, 이는 자율주행차량이 주변 차량의 주행을 인식하여 주행 패턴 에 변화를 주는 것으로 해석된다. 향후에는 도심 도로에서의 자율주행 평가를 통해 복잡한 교통 상황과 불확실한 요소들로 인해 어려 운 문제를 겪는 상황을 분석할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

청정 연료인 수소를 생산하기 위해 현재 가장 널리 사용되는 기술인 증기 개질이다. 이 방법으로 생산된 수소는 일산화탄소와 같은 불순물을 함유하고 있어, 이를 연료전지와 같은 응용분야에 사용하기 위해서는 적절한 정제 과정을 반드 시 거쳐야 한다. 최근 효과적인 정제 방법으로 분리막 기술이 각광받고 있다. 본 연구에서는 수소와 일산화탄소 혼합가스에서 수소 분리 및 회수를 위해 바이오가스 고질화용(biogas upgrading) 상용 폴리설폰(polysulfone) 고분자막의 활용 가능성에 대 해서 평가하였다. 먼저, 사용한 상용막의 물리화학적 특성에 대해서 평가하였고, H2/CO를 이용하여 stage-cut, 운전압력과 같 은 다양한 조건에서의 상용막 모듈의 성능 평가를 진행하였다. 마지막으로, 평가 결과를 바탕으로 공정설계를 위한 시뮬레이 션을 진행하였다. 본 연구에서의 상용 분리막 공정의 최대 H2 투과도와 H2/CO 분리계수는 각각 361 GPU와 20.6을 기록하였 다. 또한, CO 제거 효율은 최대 94%를 나타내었으며, 생산 수소 농도는 최대 99.1%를 달성하였다.

PURPOSES : As the number of fixed traffic enforcement equipments increase rapidly, it is necessary to improve efficient operation and management plans. The aim of this study is to evaluate the factors influencing fixed traffic enforcement equipment failure. METHODS : This study utilized binary logistic regression analysis using the database provided by the Korean Road Traffic Authority to evaluate the factors affecting the failure of fixed traffic enforcement equipment. RESULTS : As a result of the evaluation of this study, the main factors affecting failure were red-light camera, old equipment, Jeju, National expressways, and equipment with low speed limits. CONCLUSIONS : This study can be used as basic data on the improvement of operation management plas for maintenance of traffic enforcement equipment. Through this study, it will be possible to establish a step-by-step plan with high efficiency comapared to the input of required manpower.

To safely dispose of highly radioactive spent resin and concentrate waste generated through nuclear power plant operations, it is essential to meet the physicochemical properties requirements of the packages and ensure the accuracy and reliability of radiological characteristics determination. Both spent resin and concentrate are packaged in high-integrity containers (HICs) after drying and are homogeneous waste products generated in the primary system and liquid radioactive waste treatment system. Meeting the physicochemical properties requirements does not appear to be difficult. However, to achieve reliable radiological characterization of high-integrity container packages, it is necessary to take a representative sample and perform accurate radiological analysis. Therefore, this paper discusses the methodology for evaluating the radionuclide inventory of high radioactive resin and concentrate packages, as well as the essential element technology and considerations. For relatively high radioactive resin and concentrate packages, the radionuclide inventory for each package should be evaluated with high reliability through direct radiological analysis of the representative samples collected for each package. This can contribute to the efficient operation of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Radionuclide-specific concentrations directly analyzed for each package will be managed in a database. As analytical data accumulates and direct measurements of high-integrity container package such as the radwaste drum assay system (RAS) become feasible, statistical techniques such as correlation analysis between easy-tomeasure (ETM) nuclides and difficult-to-measure (DTM) nuclides can lead to the development of efficient and reasonable indirect evaluation methods, such as scaling factor and the mean activity concentration method. As for the element technology, a remote representative sampling technique should be developed to safely and effectively take representative samples of highly radioactive materials, including granulated or hardened concentrate waste. Considerations should also be given to determining the sample quantity representing each package, as well as establishing radiation calibration and measurement methods appropriate to the radiation levels of the representative samples.

In the evaluation of the stability of radioactive waste disposal, it is imperative to take into account the concept of the redox front. Initially, this front is typically observed near the surface. However, if the hydraulic gradient increases due to the construction of a disposal facility, the redox front can potentially transport deeper into the geological environment through groundwater flow. This transport triggers changes in the geochemical characteristics, potentially diminishing the natural buffering capacity of the bedrock. Consequently, it is necessary to characterize both the unsaturated and saturated zones in the disposal site. In this context, a tracer test is a useful method to identify the characteristics of the site from the surface to the deep geological environment where the disposal facility can be located. Therefore, this study also aims to establish a methodology enabling a comprehensive understanding of the hydrogeochemical characteristics through the tracer test that can be applied to future sites for research URL (Underground Research Laboratory) or radioactive waste disposal in Korea. For the tracer test, a UNIT (UNsaturated zone Insitu Test facility) was built within the KAERI and five wells with a depth of 24 m were installed in 2022. Before conducting the test, to determine the geochemical background characteristics of the site, topsoil and soils at depths of 30 cm, 60 cm, and 90 cm were collected. Additionally, a groundwater sample was obtained from the newly installed well. Soil samples were analyzed for soil texture, moisture content, total and exchange cations, anions, and heavy metals. Similarly, the groundwater sample was analyzed for cations, anions, and trace elements. The outcomes of these comprehensive analyses will serve as the baseline values in the hydrogeochemical changes after the tracer test. This includes changes in soil composition, water quality, precipitation/dissolution processes, and mineral phases. Furthermore, these results will be provided as input parameters for surface-underground interface models in future studies.