• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.23-42
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• 2023

This study originated from recognition of importance of firefighters' decision-making in fire response, coupled with existing gap in research. By utilizing Q-methodology, the study aimed to categorize firefighters' subjectivity in fire response decision-making. Through this categorization, the study sought to highlight insights into the current technological and data limitations, as well as potential directions for future R&D in the field of firefighting. The findings of the study revealed that firefighters' subjectivity could be classified into three factors: "emphasis on direct information related to rescue," "emphasis on information related to the target property," and "emphasis on information related to command and coordination." The study theoretically confirmed that the subjectivity of firefighters' decision-making in fire response is partially influenced by their experiences and job. Additionally, the study's significance lay in its approach of collecting specific decision-making factors in fire response, moving beyond general theoretical models. Furthermore, from a policy perspective, the typification of decision-making factors contributed to connecting the identified data-based administrative needs from prior studies. Insights from the study emphasized the importance of leveraging on-site experience in Korea to aid decision-making, calling for the development of equipment and data collection methods that can rapidly and accurately assess on-site conditions.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.333-340
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• 2024

Background: Korean red ginseng (KRG) is a product from ginseng roots, which is enriched with ginsenosides and has been utilized for a long time as an adaptogen to alleviate various physiological or disease conditions. While KRG is generally considered safe, conducting a thorough toxicological assessment of the spray-dried powder G1899 during the juvenile period is essential to establish its safety profile. This study aimed to assess the safety of G1899 during the juvenile period using Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Two studies were conducted separately: a juvenile toxicity study and a uterotrophic bioassay. To assess the potential toxicity at systemic, postnatal developmental, and reproductive levels, G1899 was orally gavaged once a day in post-weaning juvenile Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at 0, 1250, 2500, or 5000 mg/kg/day. Estrogenicity was assessed by orally gavaging G1899 in immature female SD rats at 0, 2500, or 5000 mg/kg/day on postnatal days (PND) 19-21, followed by a uterotrophic bioassay. These studies were conducted in accordance with the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations and regulatory test guidelines. Results: Regarding juvenile toxicity, no abnormalities related to the G1899 treatment were observed in any group during the experiment. Moreover, no uterotrophic responses were observed in the dosed female group. Based on these results, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of G1899 was determined to be at least 5000 mg/kg/day for general systemic function, developmental/reproductive function, and estrogenic activity. Conclusion: Our results suggest that G1899 is not toxic to juveniles at doses of up to 5000 mg/kg/day.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.243-256
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• 2024

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether 2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (2-[¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT) can aid in evaluating the risk of malignancy in ampullary tumors detected by endoscopy. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study analyzed 155 patients (79 male, 76 female; mean age, 65.7 ± 12.7 years) receiving 2-[¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT for endoscopy-detected ampullary tumors 5-87 days (median, 7 days) after the diagnostic endoscopy between June 2007 and December 2020. The final diagnosis was made based on histopathological findings. The PET imaging parameters were compared with clinical data and endoscopic features. A model to predict the risk of malignancy, based on PET, endoscopy, and clinical findings, was generated and validated using multivariable logistic regression analysis and an additional bootstrapping method. The final model was compared with standard endoscopy for the diagnosis of ampullary cancer using the DeLong test. Results: The mean tumor size was 17.1 ± 7.7 mm. Sixty-four (41.3%) tumors were benign, and 91 (58.7%) were malignant. Univariable analysis found that ampullary neoplasms with a blood-pool corrected peak standardized uptake value in earlyphase scan (SUVe) ≥ 1.7 were more likely to be malignant (odds ratio [OR], 16.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.13-36.18; P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified the presence of jaundice (adjusted OR [aOR], 4.89; 95% CI, 1.80-13.33; P = 0.002), malignant traits in endoscopy (aOR, 6.80; 95% CI, 2.41-19.20; P < 0.001), SUVe ≥ 1.7 in PET (aOR, 5.43; 95% CI, 2.00-14.72; P < 0.001), and PET-detected nodal disease (aOR, 5.03; 95% CI, 1.16-21.86; P = 0.041) as independent predictors of malignancy. The model combining these four factors predicted ampullary cancers better than endoscopic diagnosis alone (area under the curve [AUC] and 95% CI: 0.925 [0.874-0.956] vs. 0.815 [0.732-0.873], P < 0.001). The model demonstrated an AUC of 0.921 (95% CI, 0.816-0.967) in candidates for endoscopic papillectomy. Conclusion: Adding 2-[¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT to endoscopy can improve the diagnosis of ampullary cancer and may help refine therapeutic decision-making, particularly when contemplating endoscopic papillectomy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1256-1264
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• 2020

Objective: Lung segmentation using volumetric quantitative computed tomography (CT) analysis may help predict outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CT volumetric quantitative analysis and prognosis in patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: CT images from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from February 18 to April 15, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. CT with a negative finding, failure of quantitative analysis, or poor image quality was excluded. CT volumetric quantitative analysis was performed by automated volumetric methods. Patients were stratified into two risk groups according to CURB-65: mild (score of 0-1) and severe (2-5) pneumonia. Outcomes were evaluated according to the critical event-free survival (CEFS). The critical events were defined as mechanical ventilator care, ICU admission, or death. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between the variables and prognosis. Results: Eighty-two patients (mean age, 63.1 ± 14.5 years; 42 females) were included. In the total cohort, male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 9.264; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.021-42.457; p = 0.004), C-reactive protein (CRP) (HR, 1.080 per mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.010-1.156; p = 0.025), and COVID-affected lung proportion (CALP) (HR, 1.067 per percentage; 95% CI, 1.033-1.101; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with CEFS. CRP (HR, 1.164 per mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.006-1.347; p = 0.041) was independently associated with CEFS in the mild pneumonia group (n = 54). Normally aerated lung proportion (NALP) (HR, 0.872 per percentage; 95% CI, 0.794-0.957; p = 0.004) and NALP volume (NALPV) (HR, 1.002 per mL; 95% CI, 1.000-1.004; p = 0.019) were associated with a lower risk of critical events in the severe pneumonia group (n = 28). Conclusion: CRP in the mild pneumonia group; NALP and NALPV in the severe pneumonia group; and sex, CRP, and CALP in the total cohort were independently associated with CEFS in patients with COVID-19.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-41
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• 2024

The global Industry has been shaped by start-ups that originated with knowledge-based innovative strategies or technologies in the 21st century. Specifically, laboratory start-ups that rely on research papers or patents for new technology development are recognized for their high survival rate and the creation of employment opportunities. Our study concentrated on 'I-Corps', which also introduced in Korea, standing for innovation corps is a laboratory startup program launched in 2011 by the NSF(National Research Foundation) to commercialize R&D results and foster entrepreneurship as part of the policy to build a start-up system at the national innovation level. In this study, we proposed and empirically tested a research model focusing on teams participating in the I-Corps program to determine how startup team diversity, among the team characteristics of laboratory startups, affected patent performance. As a result of the analysis, among the proposed variables, age diversity, educational background diversity, and value diversity had a significant impact on patent performance. The results of this study are expected to further strengthen the theoretical and practical foundations of researchers or practitioners of the I-Corps program, as well as related areas involving technology & laboratory startups, intellectual property and knowledge management fields in the future.

• Journal of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.152-162
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• 2024

Objective: Stroke is the second-leading cause of death globally. Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) represents 10-15% of ischemic strokes in Western countries and up to 47% in Asian countries. Patients with ICAS have an especially high risk of stroke recurrence. The aim of this meta-analysis is to reassess recurrent stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and other outcomes with stenting versus best medical management for symptomatic ICAS. Methods: The search protocol was developed a priori according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The OVID Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to August 14th, 2022. Results: This meta-analysis included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with a total number of 991 patients. The mean age of participants was 57 years. The total number of intracranial stenting patients was 495, and the number of medical treatment patients was 496. The included studies were published between 2011 and 2022. Two studies were conducted in the USA, and the other two in China. All included studies compared intracranial stenting to medical treatment for ICAS. Conclusions: In patients with ischemic stroke due to symptomatic severe intracranial atherosclerosis, the rate of 30-day ischemic stroke, 30-day intracerebral hemorrhage, one-year stroke in territory or mortality favored the medical treatment alone without intracranial stenting. The risk of same-territory stroke at last follow-up, disabling stroke at last follow-up, and mortality did not significantly favor either group. Intracranial stenting for atherosclerosis did not result in significant benefit over medical treatment.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2013

Purpose: Spirituality is an important domain and is related with physical and psychological symptoms in terminal cancer patient. The aim of this study is to examine how patients' spirituality is associated with their physical and psychological symptoms as it has been explored by few studies. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 50 patients in the palliative ward of a tertiary hospital were interviewed. Spiritual well-being, depression, anxiety and pain is measured by Functional Assessment of Chronic-Illness Therapy-Spirituality (FACIT-Sp), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and the Korean version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-K). The correlations between patients' spiritual well-being and anxiety, depression and pain were analysed. The association between spiritual well-being and age, gender, palliative performance scale (PPS), religion, mean pain intensity, anxiety, depression were assessed by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Results: Spiritual well-being was negatively correlated with the mean pain intensity (r=-0.283, P<0.05), anxiety (r=-0.613, P<0.05) and depression (r=-0.526, P<0.05). In multivariate regression analysis, spiritual well-being showed negative association with anxiety (OR=-1.03, 95% CI=-1.657~-0.403, P=0.002) and positive association with the existence of religion (OR=9.193, 95% CI=4.158~14.229, P<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, patients' anxiety and existence of religion were significantly associated with spiritual well-being after adjusting age, gender, PPS, mean pain intensity, depression. Prospective studies are warranted.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.253-261
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• 1994

Chloroform present in the swimming water disinfected with sodium hypochlorite is released to the air of swimming pools. The air chloroform concentrations were measured in two swimming pools A and B which applied both sodium hypochlorite a:d ozone. Thew mean concentrations are 28.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m3 and 33.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m3in the swimming pools A and B, respectively. On the other hand, the mean water chloroform concentrations in the swimming pools A and B were 23.9 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l and 19.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l, respectively. The air chloroform concentrations were lower in the swimming Bools A and B than those reported by previous studies abroad employed the swimming pools which applied sodium hypochlorite only for water disinfection. The water chloroform concentrations were also lower in this study than in the previous studies. The relationship between the air and water chloroform concentrations measured in this study was significant with p=0.002 and Rz=0.42. At similar time to the indoor air sampling, outdoor air samples were collected at two sites near each of the swimming Pools A and B. The mean outdoor air chloroform concentrations near the swiminE Pools A and B were 0.41 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m3 and 0.16 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m3, respectively. The outdoor air chloroform concentrations measured in this study were equal to or lower than those reported by previous studies abroad. 'rho chloroform dose inhaled for a typical one-hour swim was estimated to be 25.9 $\mu\textrm{g}$ per person, corresponding to a specific 0.37 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg body weight for a reference 70 Kg male adult, while the inhalation dose of chloroform from the outdoor air was estimated to be 5.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$ per person per day, corresponding to a specific 0.08 $\mu\textrm{g}$/Kg/day for the same reference male adult.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.94-103
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• 2016

An analytical method was developed to determine the amount of spinetoram (spinetoram J and spinetoram L) in livestock samples. The spinetoram was extracted with acetonitrile and purified through a primary secondary amine (PSA) sorbent. The spinetoram residues were then quantified and confirmed using a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) in the positive ion mode using multiple reactions monitoring (MRM). Matrix-matched calibration curves were linear over the calibration ranges (0.005-0.5 mg/kg) into a blank extract with r² > 0.994. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.002 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively. The recovery results of spinetram ranged between 81.9-106.4% at different concentration levels (LOQ, 10LOQ, 50LOQ, n=5) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10%. All values were consistent with the criteria ranges requested in the Codex guidelines (CAC/GL40, 2003). An interlaboratory study was conducted to validate the method. The proposed analytical method proved to be accurate, effective, and sensitive for spinetoram determination. The method will be used as an official analytical method in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the performance of crossbreed Korean native ducks for production of Korean native commercial ducks which are adapted to Korean environment. A total of four hundred eighty ducklings (1-d-old) of crossbreds from A and B lines (derived from National Institute of Animal Science) were used in this work and divided into 8 treatments (4 replicates/group, 15 birds/replicate) with $4{\times}2$ factors (4 groups, AA, AB, BB, BA; 2 genders, male and female). Ducks were fed diets based on corn-soybean meal for 0 to 3 wk (22.0% [CP], 2,904 kcal/kg [ME]) and 3 to 8 wk (18.0% [CP], 3,002 kcal/kg [ME]). Body weight of AA group was higher than BB and BA groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference on body weight at 8 wk old. Body weight gain of AB group was the highest among groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference on body weight gain among crossbreds at 0~3, 3~8 and 0~8 wk old. On body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio, male was higher than female at the age of 3 and 8 wk old (P<0.05, P<0.01). There was no significant difference on uniformity and livability. However, production index of male was higher than that of female (P<0.01). These results may provide the basic data on growing performance and productivity of crossbreed Korean native ducks for the production of commercial Korean native duck.