Republic of Korea Army

About: Republic of Korea Army is a government organization based out in Daejeon, South Korea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Crisis communication & Mental health. The organization has 67 authors who have published 74 publications receiving 513 citations. The organization is also known as: ROKA & ROK Army.

Resource Welfare Based Task Allocation for UAV Team with Resource Constraints

Abstract: This paper addresses a task allocation problem for a team of UAVs that cooperatively performs a search and attack mission in an unknown region. The UAVs are heterogeneous carrying different types and amounts of munition resources, and limited in communications and sensing capabilities. The environment is highly uncertain and dynamic where no prior information is available and dynamic events such as UAV failures unpredictably occur. The objective of the mission is to maximize total reward obtained by destroying targets within a given mission horizon. A group of UAVs may need to be formed to attack a target because individual UAVs may not have sufficient resources for the execution of attack tasks. Instantaneous task allocation approaches that seek for optimal solution for current tasks cannot effectively account for the unpredictability of future tasks in the uncertain dynamic environment. In this paper, we propose a distributed task allocation scheme based on resource welfare of which concept is adopted from economics. The approach we present enables the UAV team to effectively utilize resources by balancing resource depletions and consequently be capable of smoothly responding to dynamic events by retaining more UAVs available. Simulation experiments were conducted in various conditions to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach in comparison with the instantaneous task allocation method. The results show that our approach improves the performance by up to 29.3 % with respect to the instantaneous task allocation method.

Collaborative intelligent CAD framework incorporating design history tracking algorithm

Abstract: This paper shows a new and efficient collaborative intelligent Computer Aided Design (CAD) framework in a theoretical study. While other collaborative CAD frameworks or protocols focus on decreasing the waiting time for updating design or communication methods for design review among collaborative designers, the suggested collaborative design protocol determines the next design ownership criterion with the objective of minimizing redundant design stages and design bottlenecks using the design history. In addition, the suggested framework generates an efficient reverse-engineered process for achieving the final design target with identification of redundant designs and how these can be prevented while resolving other existing collaborative design issues. As a design history mechanism, a feature-based design history tracking algorithm is suggested. In each design stage, the modeling activities are mapped to the related geometry and topology information. This information is reasoned into features using the feature design history graph (FDHG) and modified attribute adjacency graph (MAAG). The identified features are utilized for determining the redundant design stage and how it can be changed efficiently using the tracking algorithm. As the size of the design history increases with the number of collaborative designers and their design stages, this design history mechanism contributes to a decrease in size and captures the characteristics of design using features. As possible directions for future research this suggested framework can provide an insight into the design tendencies of designers and also be used as a reference model for intelligent CAD systems with an extracted design history-based knowledge database.

Protective Effectiveness of Inactivated Hantavirus Vaccine Against Hemorrhagic Fever With Renal Syndrome.

Abstract: As there is no effective treatment against hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), the development of effective vaccine is important. An inactivated hantavirus vaccine (IHV) has been used in Korea, but there has been controversy regarding its effectiveness. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of IHV against HFRS in the Korean military. Unadjusted and adjusted VEs of IHV were 59.1% and 58.9%, respectively. VE was higher in divisions with high incidence of HFRS (unadjusted VE, 71.4%; adjusted VE, 78.7%). Our study demonstrated the moderate effectiveness of IHV in high-risk populations residing in endemic area.

Development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms in Partial-Thickness Burn Wounds Using a Sprague-Dawley Rat Model.

Abstract: We used a modified Walker-Mason scald burn rat model to demonstrate that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common opportunistic pathogen in the burn ward and notable biofilm former, establishes biofilms within deep partial-thickness burn wounds in rats.Deep partial-thickness burn wounds, ~10% of the TBSA, were created in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-450 g; n = 84). Immediately post-burn, 100 µl of P. aeruginosa in phosphate-buffered saline at 1 × 103, 1 × 104, or 1 × 105 cells/wound was spread over the burn surface . At 1, 3, 7, and 11 days post-burn, animals were euthanized and blood and tissue were collected for complete blood counts, colony-forming unit (CFU) counts, biofilm gene expression, histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and myeloperoxidase activity in the burn eschar.P. aeruginosa developed robust biofilm wound infections, plateauing at ~1 × 109 CFU/g burn tissue within 7 days regardless of inoculum size. Expression of Pseudomonas alginate genes and other virulence factors in the infected wound indicated formation of mature P. aeruginosa biofilm within the burn eschar. Compared to un-inoculated wounds, P. aeruginosa infection caused both local and systemic immune responses demonstrated by changes in systemic neutrophil counts, histology, and myeloperoxidase activity within the burn wound. Additionally, SEM showed P. aeruginosa enmeshed within an extracellular matrix on the burn surface as well as penetrating 500-600 µm deep into the eschar.P. aeruginosa establishes biofilms within deep partial-thickness burn wounds and invades deep into the burned tissue. This new in vivo biofilm infection model is valuable for testing novel anti-biofilm agents to advance burn care.