• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2014

Background: Open heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is considered one of the most frequent surgical procedures in which acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious complication. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early AKI biomarker after CPB in cardiac surgery (CS). Methods: Thirty-seven adult patients undergoing CS with CPB were included in this retrospective study. They had normal preoperative renal function, as assessed by the creatinine (Cr) level, NGAL level, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Serial evaluation of serum NGAL and Cr levels was performed before, immediately after, and 24 hours after the operation. Patients were divided into two groups: those who showed normal immediate postoperative serum NGAL levels (group A, n=30) and those who showed elevated immediate postoperative serum NGAL levels (group B, n=7). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 18. Results: Of the 37 patients, 6 (6/37, 16.2%) were diagnosed with AKI. One patient belonged to group A (1/30, 3.3%), and 5 patients belonged to group B (5/7, 71.4%). Two patients in group B (2/7, 28.5%) required further renal replacement therapy. Death occurred in only 1 patient (1/37, 2.7%), who belonged to group B. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that postoperative plasma NGAL levels can be used as an early biomarker for the detection of AKI following CS using CPB. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our results.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-105
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nonemergency, isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for high- or low-risk patients biases the assessment of the risk-adjusted mortality rates of hospitals. This study used 2002 National Health Insurance claims data for tertiary hospitals in Korea. The study sample consisted of 1,959 patients from 23 tertiary hospitals. The risk-adjustment model used the patients' biological, admission, and comorbidity data identified in the claims. The subjects were classified into high- and low-risk groups based on predicted surgical risk. The crude mortality rates and risk-adjusted mortality rates for low-risk, high-risk, and all patients in a hospital were compared based on the rank and the four intervals defined by quartile. Also, the crude mortality rates of the three groups were compared with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. The C-statistic (0.83) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test ($X^2$=11.47, p=0.18) indicated that the risk-adjustment model performed well. Presenting crude mortality rates with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted rates showed higher agreements among the three groups than using the rank or intervals of mortality rates defined by quartile in the hospital performance assessment. The crude mortality rates for the low-risk patients in 21 of the 23 hospitals were located on the same side of their 95% confidence intervals compared to that for all patients. High-risk patients and all patients differed at only one hospital. In conclusion, the impact of risk selection by hospital on the assessment results was the smallest when comparing the crude inpatient mortality rates of CABG patients with the 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. Given the increasing importance of quality improvements in Korean health policy, it will be necessary to use the appropriate method of releasing the hospital performance data to the public to minimize any unwanted impact such as risk-based hospital selection.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1996

Korea Aerospace Research Institute(KARI) is developing a Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite I(KOMPSAT-I) which accommodates Electro-Optical Camera(EOC), Ocean Color Imager(OCI), Space Physics Sensor(SPS) for cartography, ocean color monitoring, and space environment monitoring respectively. The satellite has the weight of about 500 kg and is operated on the sun synchronized orbit with the altitude of 685km, the orbit period of 98 minutes, and the orbit revisit time of 28days. The satellite will be launched in the third quarter of 1999 and its lifetime is more than 3 years. EOC has cartography mission to provide images for the production of scale maps, including digital elevation models, of Korea from a remote earth view in the KOMPSAT orbit. EOC collects panchromatic imagery with the ground sample distance(GSD) of 6.6m and the swath width of 15km at nadir through the visible spectral band of 510-730 nm. EOC scans the ground track of 800km per orbit by push-broom and body pointed method. OCI mission is worldwide ocean color monitoring for the study of biological oceanography. OCI is a multispectral imager generating 6 color ocean images with and <1km GSD by whisk-broom scanning method. OCI is designed to provide on-orbit spectral band selectability in the spectral range from 400nm to 900nm. The color images are collected through 6 primary spectral bands centered at 443, 490, 510, 555, 670, 865nm or 6 spectral bands selected in the spectral range via ground commands after launch. SPS consists of High Energy Particle Detector(HEPD) and Ionosphere Measurement Sensor(IMS). HEPD has mission to characterize the low altitude high energy particle environment and to study the effects of radiation environment on microelectronics. IMS measures densities and temperature of electrons in the ionosphere and monitors the ionospheric irregularities in KOMPSAT orbit.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 1998

Ocean Scanning Multispectral Imager (OSMI) is a payload on the Korean Multi-Purpose SATellite (KOMPSAT) to perform worldwide ocean color monitoring for the study of biological oceanography. The instrument images the ocean surface using a whisk-broom motion with a swath width of 800 km and a ground sample distance (GSD) of less than 1 km over the entire field-of-view (FOV). The instrument is designed to have an on-orbit operation duty cycle of 20% over the mission lifetime of 3 years with the functions of programmable gain/offset and on-orbit image data storage. The instrument also performs sun calibration and dark calibration for on-orbit instalment calibration. The OSMI instrument is a multi-spectral imager covering the spectral range from 400 nm to 900 nm using a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) Focal Plane Array (FPA). The ocean colors are monitored using 6 spectral channels that can be selected via ground commands after launch. The instrument performances are fully measured for 8 basic spectral bands centered at 412, 443, 490, 510, 555, 670, 765 and 865 nm during ground characterization of instalment. In addition to the ground calibration, the on-orbit calibration will also be used for the on-orbit band selection. The on-orbit band selection capability can provide great flexibility in ocean color monitoring.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.514-520
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• 1999

Changes in pH, titratable acidity, CO$_2$production, reducing sugar, and lactic acid bacteria of fresh kimchi juice supplemented with combinations of 3 lactic acid bacteria and germanium(Ge)-132 or fructooligosaccharide(FO) during fermentation at 30$^{\circ}C$ were investigated to assess the potential for extending the shelf life and enhancing the functional properties in kimchi. In kimchi juice containing Ge-132, sample(I) (inoculated with a mixture of bacteriocin-producing SNF-13 strain and E. faecium) exhibited that the amounts of organic acid and evolved CO$_2$gas were lower than those of the other starter samples(II-IV). The growth of lactic acid bacteria naturally present in kimchi juice, particularly Lb. plantarum and Leu. mesentroides, may be inhibited due to competition of the isolated SNF-13 strain and E. faecium by Ge-132. During fermentation of kimchi juice containing FO sugar, the contents of organic acid and evolved CO$_2$gas On juice broth with 4 starters were predominantly higher than those of control and Ge-132 groups, and then the growth of lactic acid bacteria originated from kimchi ingredients was thought to be markedly accelerated. Our results indicated that functional properties like the extension of shelf life and increase of biological activity in kimchi were enhanced by adding Ge-132 and bacterium-producing lactic acid bacterium, which were resistant to organic acid and stimulated by Ge-132.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 2007

In this experiment we transformed the Ca-bentonite into Na-bentonite with two inorganic Na-chemicals under different temperatures. These two Na-chemicals were selected among five different Na-chemicals which carries Na as cation. The swelling capacity of the Na chemical-treated bentonite was increased with increasing Na concentration, while the maximum concentration of Na solution decreased with increasing temperature. $Na_2CO_3$ was most effective in exchanging Ca ions and resulting in the highest swelling index among the Na-chemicals. The swelling index was significantly increased with increasing temperature to $100^{\circ}C$. But the equilibration time reversely affected the swelling index due to a rapid increase in evaporation of water. Within same amount of Na treatment SI slightly decreased not only with increasing contacting time but also with increasing temperature. The adsorption for the transformed Na-bentonite was increased with increasing equilibrium concentrations of Pb and Cd ions for all the activated Na-B and indigenous Ca-B and Na-B while the adsorbability of $Pb^{2+}$ onto each Na-B sample is more than that of $Cd^{2+}$. And the maximum adsorption capacity sequence of Na-B samples for Pb and Cd has been found to be 5 % $Na_2CO_3.$ - 5 % $NaHCO_3$ > 3 % $NaHCO_3$ > 3 % $Na_2CO_3$ > 1 % $NaHCO_3$ > 1 % $Na_2CO_3$ > indigenous Na-B > indigenous Ca-B, showing that there are contradictory results about the relationship of cation adsorption to CEC.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.59-64
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• 2019

This study suggests a conceptual strategy and methodology for the risk assessment of the domestic abandoned mine fillers with fly ash. The fillers are composed of coal fly ash and solidification materials, and contain little toxic substances such as carbonates but also some heavy metals; therefore, those requires a risk assessment. The risk assessment should primarily focus on estimation of the effects to human health both on carcinogen and non-carcinogen aspects. The significant data such as toxicity and partition coefficients can be obtained from the national soil or mine environmental risk assessment guidelines. Accurate risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in the fillers may consume lots of time and efforts through site survey and instrumental analyses, etc. Moreover, it is inefficient to explore all of the factors as concentrations and categories in every heavy metal in the fillers, due to a high variety and complexity. Therefore, implementation of a preliminary risk assessment is suggested by using the literature data and the basic characteristics of the filler samples prior to the detailed risk assessment. Certainly, this presumes a thorough understanding of reliable sample analysis methods, exposure pathways, and relevant physicochemical and biological mechanisms.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.242-247
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• 2019

Biological factors (e.g. microorganism activity) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) play essential roles for degradation and/or removal of organic matters. In this study, to understand the microbial functional roles in WWTP, we tried to isolate and characterize a bacterial strain from activated sludge sample. Strain S16 was isolated from the activated sludge of a municipal WWTP in Daejeon metropolitan city, the Republic of Korea. The cells were a Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, facultative anaerobe, and rod-shaped. Strain S16 grew at a temperature of $15{\sim}40^{\circ}C$ (optimum, $30^{\circ}C$), with 0~9.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0~2.0%), and at pH 5.5~9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0~7.5). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain S16 was most closely related to the unique species Miniimonas arenae NBRC $106267^T$ (99.79%, 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) of the genus Miniimonas. The cell wall contained alanine, glutamic acid, serine, and ornithine. Although the isolation source of the type strain NBRC $106267^T$ which considered as a marine microorganism is sea sand, that of strain S16 is terrestrial environment. It might raise an ecological question for habitat transition. Therefore, comparative genome analysis will be valuable investigation for shedding light on their potential metabolic traits and genomic streamlining.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the necessary mechanical properties of conductive multifilament yarns for fabricating the electrodes of biosignal measurement pressure and stretch textile sensors using embroidery. When electrodes and circuits for smart wearable products are produced through the embroidery process using conductive multifilament yarns, unnecessary material loss is minimized, and complex electrode shapes or circuit designs can be produced without additional processes using a computer embroidering machine. However, because ordinary missionary threads cannot overcome the stress in the embroidery process and yarn cutting occurs, herein, we analyzed the S-S curve, thickness, and twist structure, which are three types of silver-coated multifilament yarns, and measured the stress in the thread of the embroidery simultaneously. Thus, the required mechanical properties of the yarns in the embroidery process were analyzed. In the actual sample production, cutting occurred in silver-coated multifilament rather than silver-coated polyamide/polyester, which showed the lowest S-S curve. In the embroidery process, the twist was unwound through repetitive vertical movement. Further, we fabricated a piezoresistive pressure/tension sensor to measure gauge factor, which is an index for measuring biological signals. We confirmed that the sensor can be applied to the fabrication of embroidery electrodes, which is an important process in the mass production of smart wearable products.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2021

Panax species have gained numerous attentions because of their various biological effects on cardiovascular, kidney, reproductive diseases known for a long time. Recently, advanced analytical methods including thin layer chromatography, high-performance thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem ultraviolet, diode array detector, evaporative light scattering detector, and mass detector, two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography, high speed counter-current chromatography, high speed centrifugal partition chromatography, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, ambient ionization mass spectrometry, molecularly imprinted polymer, enzyme immunoassay, 1H-NMR, and infrared spectroscopy have been used to identify and evaluate chemical constituents in Panax species. Moreover, Soxhlet extraction, heat reflux extraction, ultrasonic extraction, solid phase extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, acceleration solvent extraction, matrix solid phase dispersion extraction, and pulsed electric field are discussed. In this review, a total of 219 articles published from 1980 to 2018 are investigated. Panax species including P. notoginseng, P. quinquefolius, sand P. ginseng in the raw and processed forms from different parts, geographical origins, and growing times are studied. Furthermore, the potential biomarkers are screened through the previous articles. It is expected that the review can provide a fundamental for further studies.