This study was conducted to evaluate the health risk of workers exposed to phenyl glycidyl ether to prevent themfrom developing occupational diseases. The workplaces that coat floor with epoxy were selected and the sampleswere collected and analyzed with NIOSH 1619 Method. Unit risk was calculated according to the animalcarcinogenicity study. Excess cancer risk was also calculated by multiplying unit risk by exposure concentration.Monte Carlo simulation was performed to calculate the median, cumulative 90%, and cumulative 95% value.Phenyl glycidyl ether is a skin, eye irritator and can result in allergic reaction, nausea, intoxication. Unit risk wascalculated as 0.04 (mg/m³)-¹ based on the tumor incidence in rats. Geometric mean and geometric standarddeviation was also calculated as 0.112 ppm and 0.223, respectively by the workplace environment measurements.The median, cumulative 90%, and cumulative 95% value of excess cancer risk were calculated as 0.0244, 0.1328,0.1596, respectively. Not only cumulative 90% and cumulative 95% value but also the median of excess cancerrisk is much higher than 1×10-⁴ by the risk characterization, so there is a possibility of carcinogenesis to workers.Therefore, supervisors or managers of each workplace have to keep doing the risk management of their workplacesfor workers to reduce exposure to phenyl glycidyl ether.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causes a life-threatening opportunistic infection. Despite its clinical importance, very few therapeutic drugs against T. gondii are available. Furthermore, these therapeutic regimens are not always suitable for prolonged treatment due to adverse side effects as well as the potential of clinical failure by selecting drug-resistant parasite variants. Dictamnus dasycarpus is known to have many medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-fever, and anti-rheumatic activities. In this study, 70% ethanol extract of Dictamnus dasycarpus showed anti-T. gondii effects. Ethanolic extracts of Dictamnus dasycarpus used to treat T. gondii were tested in vitro for their anti-T. gondii activity and cytotoxicity. The selectivity of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract was 7.52, which was higher than that of Sulfadiazine (2.08). We conducted an in vivo animal test to evaluate the anti-T. gondii activity of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract as compared with that of Sulfadiazine. In T. gondii-infected mice, the inhibition rate of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract was high, similar to that of Sulfadiazine. This indicates that Dictamnus dasycarpus extract may be a source of new anti-T. gondii compounds.

This study investigated the therapeutic effects of Galla rhois (GR) ethanol extract (GRE), sodium chlorate (SC), and a combination of GRE and SC on mice infected with Brucella abortus (B. abortus). Mice were infected intraperitoneally with B. abortus and then treated with GRE, SC, and a combination GRE and SC in drinking water for 14 days. Then, serum antibodies were used in a tube agglutination test (TAT), after which the weight and CFUs from each spleen were measured. In addition, histopathological changes in each liver were examined at 14 days post-infection. At 14 days post-infection, negative reactions of serum antibodies in PC (positive control), SCT (SC 1.6 g/L drinking water), GRT (GRE 200 mg/L drinking water), and GST (GRE 200 mg + SC 1.6 g/L drinking water) were 0, 40, 60, and 80%, respectively. The average spleen weight was not significantly different between the groups. At 14 days post-infection, bacterial numbers in all treated groups were significantly lower compared to to that of the PC (GRT and SCT, P<0.05; GST, P<0.001). In terms of histopathological changes in the livers, there were numerous multifocal microgranulomas in the PC, whereas this number successively decreased in the SCT, GRT, and GST groups. Conclusively, a combination of GRE and SC exhibits therapeutic effects on mice infected with B. abortus. These results suggest the potential efficacy of a mixture of GRE and SC in the treatment of brucellosis.

The purpose of this study is to detect metabolic syndrome components related to exposure of organic solventthrough comparison and analysis of metabolic syndrome components between workers at the workplace exposedto organic solvent (toluene, xylene, styrene) and workers at general workplace. During the period from Januaryto December 2010, the survey was conducted against male workers of 168,769 persons with age group 30-59completed medical checkup, dividing workers at organic solvent exposed work place and workers of generalworkplace against which comparisons were carried out about the result of general characteristics, blood test.Whether exposed to organic solvent and exposed period relationship with metabolic syndrome components wereidentified through execution of multiple logistic regression analysis. The prevalence rate of the metabolic syndromeby age was 15.0% for the 30s, 19.8% for the 40s, 22.9% for the 50s. For the whole workers, the prevalence rateof the metabolic syndrome was 17.4% in exposed workplace and 18.4% in general workplace that was higherthan the rate in exposed workplace. Even if age, drinking, smoking, exercise, region and BMI were corrected,the exposure to the organic solvent was the higher the significance of blood pressure and fasting glucose werestatistically and also the longer the period of exposure was, the higher the significance of blood pressure wasstatistically. In this study, the exposure to the organic solvent showed a statistically significant relevance with bloodpressure and fasting glucose among the metabolic syndrome components and the period of exposure showed astatistically significant relevance with blood pressure. Further researches should be conducted by prospective cohortstudy about the organic solvent and the metabolic syndrome components supplementing the defects.

Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox(Bi-2212) and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy(Bi-2223) high-Tc superconductors(HTS) have been manufactured by plasma spraying, partial melt process(PMP) and annealing treatment(AT). A Bi-2212/2223 HTS coating layer was synthesized through the peritectic reaction between a 0212 oxide coating layer and 2001 oxide coating layer by the PMP-AT process. The 2212 HTS layer consists of whiskers grown in the diffusion direction. The Bi-2223 phase and secondary phase in the Bi-2212 layer were observed. The secondary phase was distributed uniformly over the whole layer. As annealing time goes on, the Bi-2212 phase decreases with mis-orientation and irregular shape, but the Bi-2223 phase increases because a new Bi-2223 phase is formed inside the pre-existing Bi-2212 crystals, and because of the nucleation of a Bi-2223 phase at the edge of Bi-2212 crystals by diffusion of Ca and Cu-O bilayers. In this study the spray coated layer showed superconducting transitions with an onset Tc of about both 115 K, and 50 K. There were two steps. Step 1 at 115 K is due to the diamagnetism of the Bi-2223 phase and step 2 at 50 K is due to the diamagnetism of the Bi-2212 phase.

Titanium and its alloys are useful for implant materials. In this study, porous Ti-Nb-Zr biomaterials were successfully synthesized by powder metallurgy using a NH4HCO3 as space holder and TiH2 as foaming agent. Consolidation of powder was accomplished by spark plasma sintering process(SPS) at 850˚C under 30 MPa condition. The effect of high energy milling time on pore size and distribution in Ti-Nb-Zr alloys with space holder(NH4HCO3) was investigated by optical microscope(OM), scanning electron microscope(SEM) & energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). Microstructure observation revealed that, a lot of pores were uniformly distributed in the Ti-Nb-Zr alloys as size of about 30-100μm using mixed powder and milled powders. In addition, the pore ratio was found to be about 5-20% by image analysis, using an image analyzer(Image Pro Plus). Furthermore, the physical properties of specimens were improved with increasing milling time as results of hardness, relative density, compressive strength and Young's modulus. Particularly Young's modulus of the sintered alloy using 4h milled powder reached 52 GPa which is similar to bone elastic modulus.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of electrodeposition conditions on the microstructural characteristics of copper thin films. The microstructure of electroplated Cu films was found to be highly dependent on electrodeposition conditions such as system current and current density, as well as the bath solution itself. The current density significantly changed the preferred orientation of electroplated Cu films in a DC system, while the solution itself had very significant effects on microstructural characteristics in a pulse-reverse pulse current system. In the DC system, polarization at high current above 30 mA, changed the preferred orientation of Cu films from (220) to (111). However, Cu films showed (220) preferred orientation for all ranges of current density in the pulse-reverse pulse current system. The grain size decreased with increasing current density in the DC system while it remained relatively constant in the pulse-reverse pulse current system. The sheet resistance increased with increasing current density in the DC system due to the decreased grain size.

Vacuum kinetic spray(VKS) is a relatively advanced process for fabricating thin/thick and dense ceramic coatings via submicron-sized particle impact at room temperature. However, unfortunately, the particle velocity, which is an important value for investigating the deposition mechanism, has not been clarified yet. Thus, in this research, VKS average particle velocities were derived by numerical analysis method(CFD: computational fluid dynamics) connected with an experimental approach(SCM: slit cell method). When the process gas or powder particles are accelerated by a compressive force generated by gas pressure in kinetic spraying, a tensile force generated by the vacuum in the VKS system accelerates the process gas. As a result, the gas is able to reach supersonic speed even though only 0.6MPa gas pressure is used in VKS. In addition, small size powders can be accelerated up to supersonic velocity by means of the drag-force of the low pressure process gas flow. Furthermore, in this process, the increase of gas flow makes the drag-force stronger and gas distribution more homogenized in the pipe, by which the total particle average velocity becomes higher and the difference between max. and min. particle velocity decreases. Consequently, the control of particle size and gas flow rate are important factors in making the velocity of particles high enough for successful deposition in the VKS system.

In this study, a cobalt sulfate ceramic coating was sintered on various clays at 1250˚C. The specimen characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), TG-DTA, UV-vis spectrophotometer, and HRDPM. The ceramic coating had a constant thickness of thousands μm, and the surface was confirmed to be densely fused. Other new compounds were produced by the cobalt sulfate sintering process and reactions. These compounds were a CoAl2O4 phase, Co2SiO4 phase, anorthite(CaAl2Si2O8) phase, and FeAl2O4 phase, respectively. UV properties of the coated specimen were investigated, celadon clay specimen in 530-550 nm band is showing a dark gray color. The white clay and white mix clay specimen in 460-500 nm band is showing a blue color. The cobalt-aluminate(CoAl2O4) spinel and the cobalt-silicate olivine(Co2SiO4) were the strongest of the ceramic pigments, producing a very pure, navy blue color.

The Notched Ring Test(NRT) has proven to be very useful in determining the slow crack growth behavior of polyethylene pressure pipes. In particular, the test is simple and an order of magnitude shorter in experimental times as compared to the currently used Notched Pipe Test(NPT), which makes this method attractive for use as the accelerated slow crack growth test. In addition, since the NRT specimen is taken directly from the pipe, having maintained the cross-section, processing induced artifacts that would affect the slow crack growth behavior are not altered. This makes the direct comparison to the slow crack growth specimen in pipe from more meaningful. In this study, for comparison with other available slow crack growth methods, including the NPT, the stress intensity factor equation for NRT specimen was developed and demonstrated of its accuracy within 3% of that obtained from the finite element analysis. The equation was derived using a flexure formula of curved beam bending along with numerically determined geometric factors. The accuracy of the equation was successfully tested on 63, 110, 140, 160, 250, and 400 mm nominal pipe diameters, with crack depth ranging from 15 % to 45 % of the pipe wall thickness, and for standard dimensional ratio(SDR) of 9, 11, and 13.6. Using this equation the slow crack results from 110SDR11 NRT specimen were compared to that from the NPT specimen, which demonstrated that the NRT specimen was equivalent to the NPT specimen in creating the slow crack, however in much shorter experimental times.

The nitrogen solubility and nitride capacity of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-CaF2 slag systems were measured by using gas-liquid equilibration at 1773K. The nitrogen solubility of this slag system decreased with increasing CO partial pressure, with the linear relationship between nitrogen contents and oxygen partial pressure being -3/4. This system was expected to show two types of nitride solution behavior. First, the nitrogen solubility decreased to a minimum value and then increased with the increase of CaO contents. These mechanisms were explained by considering that nitrogen can dissolve into slags as "free nitride" at high basicities and as "incorporated nitride" within the network at low basicities. Also, the basicity of slag and nitride capacity were explained by using optical basicity. The nitrogen contents exhibited temperature dependence, showing an increase in nitrogen contents with increasing temperature.

Ink-jet printing technology has been widely attractive due to its facility for direct and fine printing on various substrates. Recent studies have focused on expanding the application of ink-jet printing technology from general consumer use and design companies to the prototype production of precision parts and parts manufacturing. The use of ink-jet printing technology in decorated tableware, tiles, and other ceramic products also has many advantages. The printing process is fast and can be adaptable to various kinds of objects because there is no direct contact point between the printer and the substrates to be printed. For application to ceramic product decoration, inks containing highly dispersed inorganic nano-pigments are required. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of blue CoAl2O4 nanopigment for ink-jet printing. Blue ceramic ink based on the obtained CoAl2O4 pigment was prepared by dissolving CoAl2O4 pigment in a mixed solution of ethylene glycol and ethanol with volume ratios of 7:3 and 8:2, respectively, to obtain the appropriate viscosity for ink-jet printing. The ink solution contained 15 wt% of CoAl2O4 pigment and Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB) and Sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) as dispersive agents. The prepared blue ceramic ink was stably jetted and formed a sphere-shaped droplet from an ink-jet printer.

Nanocrystalline materials have received much attention as advanced engineering materials with improved physical and mechanical properties, including high strength, high hardness, excellent ductility and toughness. In this study, nanopowders of Al2O3, MgO and TiO2 were prepared as starting materials by high energy ball milling for the simultaneous synthesis and sintering of the nanostructured compound Mg4Al2Ti9O25 by high-frequency induction heating process. The highly dense nanostructured Mg4Al2Ti9O25 compound was produced within one minute by the simultaneous application of 80MPa pressure and induced current. The sintering behavior, grain size and mechanical properties of the Mg4Al2Ti9O25 compound were evaluated.

Cross knee curl-up is an ideal variation of abdominal curl up exercise to strengthen abdominal musculature without excessive lumbar flexion which can increase the loads on the disc and ligaments. In addition, slowly forced expiration can facilitate the activation of the abdominal musculature. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of slowly forced expiration on activity of abdominal muscles, such as rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and transverse abdominis/internal oblique (TrA/IO), while cross knee curl-up. Eleven young and healthy subjects (6 males and 5 females) participated. All subjects performed the cross knee curl-up slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. Paired t-test was performed in normalized electromyogram (EMG) muscle activity of the bilateral RA, EO, and TrA/IO to compare the differences between the cross curl-up with slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. Statistical significance was set at .05. There were no significant differences in normalized EMG muscle activity of the bilateral RA, EO, and TrA/IO between the cross curl-up with slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. The finding of this study designates that slowly forced expiration does not induce increasing activity of abdominal muscle in cross knee curl-up; hence, learning step of breathing control might not be necessary to strengthen abdominal muscle in cross knee curl-up.

For professional drivers, there is a possibility to have musculoskeletal disorders on ankle joint due to repetitive pedaling operation. Therefore, this study have focused to examine ankle active range of motion (AROM), dorsiflexor strength, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) of tibialis anterior muscle (TA) in taxi drivers compared to a age-matched control group. Thirty male taxi drivers with at least 10 years of driving experience and thirty male sedentary workers were evaluated for ankle AROM, dorsiflexor strength, and PPT of TA. Multiple independent t-tests were used to identify significant differences between two groups. For the results, taxi drivers had significantly less AROM in dorsiflexion and greater AROM in external tibial rotation compared to the control group. Also, dorsiflexor strength and PPT of TA in taxi drivers was significantly lower than in the control group. This study indicates that the repetitive ankle movements associated with driving have an effect on ankle AROM, dorsiflexor strength, and PPT of TA and may lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders on ankle. Professional drivers may need to be educated to prevent a potential musculoskeletal disorders associated with repetitive movement.

The aim of this study was to compare the duration of hamstring flexibility improvement after 3 stretching interventions in people with limited hamstring flexibility. Twenty-two subjects (12 men, 10 women) with limited hamstring flexibility of the dominant leg received 3 stretching interventions— modified dynamic stretching (MDS), hold-relax (HR), and static stretching (SS)—in a random order. All the subjects received all 3 interventions at intervals of at least 24 hours to minimize any carry-over effect. Modified dynamic stretching was applied as a closed kinetic chain exercise in the supine position by using the sling suspension system (Redcord Trainer®). The SS and HR interventions were individually performed in the straight leg raising (SLR) position, and all 3 interventions were performed for 3 minutes. Outcome measures included passive knee extension (PKE) measurements. Five post-test measurements were recorded for all subjects at 3, 6, 9, 15, and 30 minutes after the interventions. MDS was associated with a significant increase in knee extension range of motion even at 30 minutes post-treatment. In contrast, the HR and SS stretching methods showed increased hamstring flexibility for only 6 minutes post-treatment. Improvements in the range of motion of knee extension (indicating enhancement in hamstring flexibility) with MDS were maintained longer than those with the HR and SS interventions. Therefore, MDS may be more effective than the other interventions for maintaining hamstring flexibility.

Asymmetric sitting posture may cause asymmetric buttock pressure and unilateral low back pain (LBP). The purpose of this study was to compare the differences of buttock pressure between both sides, and pelvic angle (sagittal and coronal planes) during typing in a sitting position on a pressure mat (Baltube) in individuals with and without unilateral LBP. Ten subjects with unilateral LBP and ten subjects without unilateral LBP were recruited for this study. Buttock pressure was measured using a pressure mat and pelvic angles were measured using a palpation meter. The subjects performed typing in a sitting posture for 30 minutes. Pressure data were collected and averaged at initial term (from start to first minutes) and final term (last minutes of 30 minutes). Angles of pelvic tilting were measured after 30 minutes typing. Pressure asymmetry values (difference in pressure between both sides) were calculated at the initial and final terms. A two-way analysis of variance was used to compare the differences between the initial and final pressure asymmetry values in subjects with and without unilateral LBP. An independent t-test was applied to compare the pelvic tilt angles between the two groups. To compare the change of pressure from the initial term to the final term between the symptomatic and asymptomatic sides in the unilateral LBP group, a paired t-test was applied. In the unilateral LBP group, the pressure asymmetric value at the final term was significantly greater than that of the initial term (p<.05). The angle of pelvic tilting in coronal plane was significantly greater in the unilateral back pain group compared to the without unilateral LBP group (p<.05), however, there was no significant difference in the angle of pelvic tilting in the sagittal plane between the two groups (p>.05). In the unilateral LBP group, the change of pressure from the initial term to the final term was significantly less in the symptomatic side (-6.90 ㎜Hg) than the asymptomatic side (5.10 ㎜Hg). This asymmetric sitting posture may contribute to unilateral LBP in the sitting position. Further studies are needed to determine if asymmetric weight bearing in sitting causes unilateral LBP or if unilateral back pain causes asymmetric weight bearing, and if the correction of asymmetric weight bearing in sitting can reduce unilateral LBP.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of fabric ankle-foot orthosis on spatiotemporal gait parameters, compared to a barefoot condition in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Eleven children with spastic cerebral palsy participated in this study. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were measured with the GAITRite system. Fabric ankle-foot orthosis significantly improved Timed Up and Go test time and gait velocity. There was no significant difference in cadence. The step time significantly improved in both the more and less affected foot compared to the barefoot condition. The step length of the affected foot also significantly improved, but there was no significant difference in the step length of the less affected foot. There was significant improvement in the stride length of both the affected and less affected foot, but no significant difference in single stance or double stance. The fabric ankle-foot orthosis could improve stability, and selective control of the joint and promote better walking in children with cerebral palsy. Consequently, the fabric ankle-foot orthosis might be an alternative assistive device for neurological populations as a primary role instead of the typical ankle-foot orthosis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of visual cue deprivation during sideways treadmill training in individuals with stroke. Twenty-eight stroke patients were divided into two groups, and each group participated in a sideways treadmill training session for 20 minutes, three times per week for 4 weeks. The eyes close group (15 subjects) performed this treadmill training with visual cue deprivation, while the eyes open group (13 subjects) performed it without visual cue deprivation. Gait function was measured in both groups before and after the training sessions with the Biodex Gait Trainer 2, which determined walking speed, distance, step length, and time on each foot. Balance was measured before and after each training period in both groups using the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST), the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and the seven-item Berg Balance Scale-3P (7-item BBS-3P). The eyes close group showed significantly improved gait function, walking speed, distance, step length, and time on each foot after training (p<.05). The eyes close group showed improved balance ability, FTSST, TUG, and 7-item BBS-3P test after training (p<.05). The findings indicated that sideways treadmill training with visual cue deprivation positively affects gait ability of stroke patients. Therefore, sideways treadmill training with visual cue deprivation may be useful for the recovery of gait ability of stroke patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gait initiation training on gait and center of pressure (CoP) during gait initiation in stroke patients. Twenty-three subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (EG) or a control group (CG). The EG received gait initiation training with increased CoP posterior distances the maximum the rear on gait training. The CG received general gait training. Both groups received training three times a week over a period of four consecutive weeks. The figures for CoP distances the maximum the rear, CoP distances time the mover the maximum the rear, the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and gait velocity were recorded both before and after the training sessions for both groups. The EG’s results for CoP distances the maximum the rear, CoP distances time the mover the maximum the rear, and POMA improved after training (p<.05). In terms of the rate of change of CoP distances the maximum the rear, the EG demonstrated a significantly higher increase (p<.05) than did the CG. The results of this study suggest that increased CoP distances the maximum the rear affect the gait initiation and gait performance of stroke patients. Further studies with a larger sample size are necessary to verify the accuracy of the results of this study.