• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.202-208
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• 2012

Fetal heart rate monitoring is important information to assess fetal well-being. Non-invasive fetal ECG (electrocardiography) can be derived from maternal abdominal signal. And various promising signal processing methods have been introduced to extract fetal ECG from mother's composite abdominal signal. However, non-invasive fetal ECG monitoring still has not been widely used in clinical practice due to insufficient reliable measurement and difficulty of signal processing. In application of signal processing method to extract fetal ECG, it might be lower signal to noise ratio due to time varying white Gaussian noise. In this paper, time varying Kalman smoother is proposed to remove white noise in fetal ECG and its feasibility is confirmed. Wiener process was set as Kalman system model and covariance matrix was modified according to white Gaussian noise level. Modified error covariance matrix changed Kalman gain and degree of smoothness. Optimal covariance matrix according to various amplitude in Gaussian white noise was extracted by 5 channel fetal ECG model, and feasibility of proposed method could be confirmed.

• 한국유가공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.37-61
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• 2005

Microcapsules consisting of natural, biodegradable polymers for controlled and/or sustained core release applications are needed. Physicochemical properties of whey proteins suggest that they may be suitable wall materials in developing such microcapsules. The objectives of the research were to develop water-insoluble, whey protein-based microcapsules containing a model water-soluble drug using a chemical cross-linking agent, glutaraldehyde, and to investigate core release from these capsules at simulated physiological conditions. A model water soluble drug, theophylline, was suspended in whey protein isolate (WPI) solution. The suspension was dispersed in a mixture of dichloromethane and hexane containing 1% biomedical polyurethane. Protein matrices were cross-linked with 7.5-30 ml of glutaraldehyde-saturated toluene (GAST) for 1-3 hr. Microcapsules were harvested, washed, dried and analyzed for core retention, microstructure, and core release in enzyme-free simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) at 37$^{\circ}C$, A method consisting of double emulsification and heat gelation was also developed to prepare water-insoluble, whey protein-based microcapsules containing anhydrous milkfat (AMF) as a model apolar core. AMF was emulsified into WPI solution (15-30%, pH 4.5-7.2) at a proportion of 25-50% (w/w, on dry basis). The oil-in-water emulsion was then added and dispersed into corn oil (50 $^{\circ}C$)to form an O/W/O double emulsion and then heated at 85$^{\circ}C$ for 20 min for gelation of whey protein wall matrix. Effects of emulsion composition and pH on core retention, microstructure, and water-solubility of microcapsules were determined. Overall results suggest that whey proteins can be used in developing microcapsules for controlled and sustained core release applications.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.59-65
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• 2016

The result of analyzing the cognitive reaction due to the color environment has been applied to various filed especially in medical field. Moreover, the study about the identification of patient's condition and examination the brain activity by collecting the bio-signal based on the color environment is being actively conducted. Even though, there were a variety of experiments by convention the color environment using a light or LED color, it still has a problem that affects the psychological information. Therefore, our proposed system using a HMD (Head Mounting display) to provide a completed color environment condition. This system uses the BMS(Biomedical System) to collect the biometric information which responds to the specific color condition and the human body response information can be measured by the development the Memory and Attention test on Mobile phone. The collection of Biometric information includes electro cardiogram(ECG), respiration, oxygen saturation (Sp02), Bio-impedance, blood pressure will store in the database. In addition, we can verify the result of the human body reaction in the color environment by Memory and Attention application. By utilizing the reaction of the human body information that is collected thought the proposed system, we can analyze the correlation between the physiological information and the color environment. And we also expect that this system can apply to the medical diagnosis and treatment. For future work, we will expand the system for prediction and treatment of Alzheimer disease by analyzing the visualization data through the proposed system. We will also do evaluation on the effectiveness of the system for using in the rehabilitation program.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2010

The placenta, which is a temporary organ derived from the fetus during pregnancy, is critical to support fetus development via optimal regulation between mother and fetus. Trophoblast as a major cell population of the placenta is one of the earliest to differentiate and shows an extensive proliferation or/and differentiation up to the formation of the placenta. The role of the trophoblast show dynamic changes from early embryo implantation to placentation during pregnancy. Implantation of the blastocyst into the endometrium of the maternal uterus is mediated by invasion of the differentiated trophoblast (e.g. syncytiotrophoblast) from the trophectoderm. During pregnancy, the unique role of the trophoblast is to invasion, eroding, and metastasizing in the placenta as well as to ensure appropriate bidirectional nutrient or waste flow required for growth and maturation of the embryo. The dysfunction of the trophoblast during pregnancy can result in several gynecological diseases including preeclampsia and congenital malformation in neonatal medicine. Therefore, trophoblasts act as a conclusive factor in placental and fetal development. This brief review outlines the classification of trophoblast and its function in the placenta during pregnancy. Also, we introduce the latest research in trophoblast for implantation and the placenta development, and the application potential of trophoblast for infertility and obstetrical diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.692-701
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• 2020

Centella asiatica (CA) has been widely used as herbal plants. It is a valuable resources. The aim of the present study was to evaluate physiological activities of solvent extracts from CA cultivated in Chungju, Korea (Good tiger care). After preparing water (cold-water, CA-WE; hot-water, CA-HWE) and EtOH extracts (50% EtOH, CA-50E; 70% EtOH, CA-70E), their total polyphenol, flavonoid, and triterpenoid contents, and anti-oxidant activities, and anti-inflammatory activities were examined and compared. CA-70E showed the most potent anti-oxidant activity based on ABTS radical scavenging activity and reducing ability assays, while CA-50E and CA-70E showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity. Among major triterpenoid glycosides present in CA, madecassoside and asiaticoside contents were found to be the highest in CA-70E, and madecassic acid and asiatic acid were the highest in CA-50E. In LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, CA-70E showed the highest TNF-α inhibitory activity, although CA-50E and CA-70E similarly inhibited nitric oxide production. Ethanol extracts significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 production more than water extracts using TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT cells, indicating its better inhibitory against skin inflammation. Therefore, Chungju-CA EtOH extract, especially 70% EtOH extract, has high physiologically active ingredients and potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, suggesting its industrial application as a functional material.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.425-434
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• 2020

Background: Viral infection outbreaks are emerging public health concerns. They often exhibit seasonal patterns that could be predicted by the application of big data and bioinformatic analyses. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify trends in diarrhea-causing viruses such as rotavirus (Gr.A), norovirus G-I, and norovirus G-II in Cheonan, Korea. The identified related factors of diarrhea-causing viruses may be used to predict their trend and prevent their infections. Method: A retrospective analysis of 4,009 fecal samples from June 2010 to December 2019 was carried out at Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was employed to identify virus strains. Information about seasonal patterns of infection was extracted and compared with local weather data. Results: Out of the 4,009 fecal samples tested using multiplex RT-PCR (mRT-PCR), 985 were positive for infection with Gr.A, G-I, and G-II. Out of these 985 cases, 95.3% (n = 939) were under 10 years of age. Gr.A, G-I, and G-II showed high infection rates in patients under 10 years of age. Student's t-test showed a significant correlation between the detection rate of Gr.A and the relative humidity. The detection rate of G-II significantly correlated with wind-chill temperature. Conclusion: Climate factors differentially modulate rotavirus and norovirus infection patterns. These observations provide novel insights into the seasonal impact on the pathogenesis of Gr.A, G-I, and G-II.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.464-474
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• 2022

Objectives: We introduced the cohort studies included in the Korean Cohort Consortium (KCC), focusing on large-scale cohort studies established in Korea with a prolonged follow-up period. Moreover, we also provided projections of the follow-up and estimates of the sample size that would be necessary for big-data analyses based on pooling established cohort studies, including population-based genomic studies. Methods: We mainly focused on the characteristics of individual cohort studies from the KCC. We developed "PROFAN", a Shiny application for projecting the follow-up period to achieve a certain number of cases when pooling established cohort studies. As examples, we projected the follow-up periods for 5000 cases of gastric cancer, 2500 cases of prostate and breast cancer, and 500 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The sample sizes for sequencing-based analyses based on a 1:1 case-control study were also calculated. Results: The KCC consisted of 8 individual cohort studies, of which 3 were community-based and 5 were health screening-based cohorts. The population-based cohort studies were mainly organized by Korean government agencies and research institutes. The projected follow-up period was at least 10 years to achieve 5000 cases based on a cohort of 0.5 million participants. The mean of the minimum to maximum sample sizes for performing sequencing analyses was 5917-72 102. Conclusions: We propose an approach to establish a large-scale consortium based on the standardization and harmonization of existing cohort studies to obtain adequate statistical power with a sufficient sample size to analyze high-risk groups or rare cancer subtypes.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.35-41
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• 2021

Natural dyeing has traditionally been used in many countries around the world, and as natural dyes are diversified, the diversity of dyeing patterns is also expanding. This study tried to establish standardization by providing numerical values that could provide quantified information to the Internet of Things by more accurately analyzing the color changes of dyes and mordants for the four natural dyes. The addition of copper acetate, iron II sulfate and potassium dichromate to the dye extracted from Juglans regia Linn changed the original color of brown to other colors of purple, khaki and dark brown, respectively. Except for potassium dichromate added to Sophora japonica L. or Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht, the concentration of other mordants was reduced, but the color difference of the dyed silk was very large. However, although there is a difference in degree, copper acetate and iron sulfate induced color changes of 35% and 15%, respectively. In summary, it was confirmed that the highest color change was induced when 15 grams of copper acetate was added to J. regia Linn, S. japonica L. and P. amurense Ruprecht and 150 grams of iron to Phytolacca americana. The results of this study suggested that the accurate color change by various mordants can be utilized as important information that enables more accurate color induction by dyes and mordants.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.679-684
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• 2023

Venous puncture is widely used to obtain blood samples for pathological examination. Because the invasive venipuncture method using a needle is repeatedly performed, the pain suffered by the patient increases, so our research team pre-developed a miniaturized near-infrared (NIR) imaging system in advance. To improve the image quality of the acquired NIR images, this study aims to model the non-local means (NLM) algorithm, which is well known to be efficient in noise reduction, and analyze its applicability in the system. The developed NIR imaging system is based on the principle that infrared rays pass through dichroic and long-pass filters and are detected by a CMOS sensor module. The proposed NLM algorithm is modeled based on the principle of replacing the pixel from which noise is to be removed with a value that reflects the distances between surrounding pixels. After acquiring an NIR image with a central wavelength of 850 nm, the NLM algorithm was applied to segment the final vein area through histogram equalization. As a result, the coefficient of variation of the NIR image of the vein using the NLM algorithm was 0.247 on average, which was an excellent result compared to conventional filtering methods. In addition, the dice similarity coefficient value of the NLM algorithm was improved by 62.91 and 9.40%, respectively, compared to the median filter and total variation methods. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the NLM algorithm can acquire accurate segmentation of veins acquired with a NIR imaging system.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2014

The accuracy and uniformity of CT numbers are the main causes of radiation dose calculation error. Especially, for the dose calculation based on kV-Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) image, the scatter affecting the CT number is known to be quite different by the object sizes, densities, exposure conditions, and so on. In this study, the scatter impact on the CBCT based dose calculation was evaluated to provide the optimal condition minimizing the error. The CBCT images was acquired under three scatter conditions ("Under-scatter", "Over-scatter", and "Full-scatter") by adjusting amount of scatter materials around a electron density phantom (CIRS062, Tissue Simulation Technology, Norfolk, VA, USA). The CT number uniformities of CBCT images for water-equivalent materials of the phantom were assessed, and the location dependency, either "inner" or "outer" parts of the phantom, was also evaluated. The electron density correction curves were derived from CBCT images of the electron density phantom in each scatter condition. The electron density correction curves were applied to calculate the CBCT based doses, which were compared with the dose based on Fan Beam Computed Tomography (FBCT). Also, 5 prostate IMRT cases were enrolled to assess the accuracy of dose based on CBCT images using gamma index analysis and relative dose differences. As the CT number histogram of phantom CBCT images for water equivalent materials was fitted with a gaussian function, the FHWM (146 HU) for "Full-scatter" condition was the smallest among the FHWM for the three conditions (685 HU for "under scatter" and 264 HU for "over scatter"). Also, the variance of CT numbers was the smallest for the same ingredients located in the center and periphery of the phantom in the "Full-scatter" condition. The dose distributions calculated with FBCT and CBCT images compared in a gamma index evaluation of 1%/3 mm criteria and in the dose difference. With the electron density correction acquired in the same scatter condition, the CBCT based dose calculations tended to be the most accurate. In 5 prostate cases in which the mean equivalent diameter was 27.2 cm, the averaged gamma pass rate was 98% and the dose difference confirmed to be less than 2% (average 0.2%, ranged from -1.3% to 1.6%) with the electron density correction of the "Full-scatter" condition. The accuracy of CBCT based dose calculation could be confirmed that closely related to the CT number uniformity and to the similarity of the scatter conditions for the electron density correction curve and CBCT image. In pelvic cases, the most accurate dose calculation was achievable in the application of the electron density curves of the "Full-scatter" condition.