• Title/Summary/Keyword: Meta-analyses

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Optimum design of axially symmetric cylindrical reinforced concrete walls

  • Bekdas, Gebrail
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.51 no.3
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    • pp.361-375
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    • 2014
  • The main aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between thickness and height of the axially symmetric cylindrical reinforced concrete (RC) walls by the help of a meta-heuristic optimization procedure. The material cost of the wall which includes concrete, reinforcement and formwork, was chosen as objective function of the optimization problem. The wall thickness, compressive strength of concrete and diameter of reinforcement bars were defined as design variables and tank volume, radius and height of the wall, loading condition and unit cost of material were defined as design constants. Numerical analyses of the wall were conducted by using superposition method (SPM) considering ACI 318-Building code requirements for structural concrete. The optimum wall thickness-height relationship was investigated under three main cases related with compressive strength of concrete and density of the stored liquid. According to the results, the proposed method is effective on finding the optimum design with minimum cost.

Quantitative Assessment of the Diagnostic Role of CDH13 Promoter Methylation in Lung Cancer

  • Zhong, Yun-Hua;Peng, Hao;Cheng, Hong-Zhong;Wang, Ping
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.1139-1143
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    • 2015
  • In order to explore the association between cadherin 13 (CDH13) gene promoter methylation and lung carcinoma (LC) risk, we carried out a meta-analysis with searching of PubMed, Web of Science. Ultimately, 17 articles were identified and analysised by STATA 12.0 software. Overall, we found a significant relationship between CDH13 promoter methylation and LC risk (odds ratio=6.98, 95% confidence interval: 4.21-11.56, p<0.001). Subgroup analyses further revealed that LC risk was increased for individuals carrying the methylated CDH13 compared with those with unmethylated CDH13. Hence, our study identified a strong association between CDH13 gene promoter methylation and LC and highlighted a promising potential for CDH13 methylation in LC risk prediction.

Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Indications in Current Practice

  • Taif, Sawsan Abdulkareem
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.569-575
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    • 2014
  • Although mammography is the primary imaging modality for the breast, it has its limitations especially with dense breast parenchyma. Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved into an important adjunctive tool as it is currently the most sensitive technique for breast cancer detection. Despite this high sensitivity, overlap in the appearances of some benign and malignant breast lesions results in additional unnecessary intervention with negative results. These false positives, in addition to high cost and limited availability, necessitate establishing proper indications for breast MRI. The literature was here reviewed for recent clinical trials, meta-analyses and review papers which have studied this important subject. PubMed; the US national library of medicine, was utilized to review the literature in the last twenty years. Using the obtained information, current uses of breast MRI are discussed in this paper to determine the indications which are relevant to clinical practice.

Prediction of AGS Distribution and Analysis of Rescrystallization Behavior in 3-roll Mill (3-롤 압연 오스테나이트 결정립도 분포 예측 및 재결정 거동 분석)

  • 권혁철;김수영;임용택;이영석;우종수
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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    • 2002.05a
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    • pp.169-172
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    • 2002
  • Recently, the application of 3-roll mill is increasing, because of its flexibility in spread control and stand arrangements due to its compact size. But deformation characteristics and microstructural change in the process is not well known. In this study, austenite grain size (AGS) predictions were made by isothermal FE analyses and a microstructure model available in the literature. From this study, the effect of draught on the AGS characteristics was analyzed based on the divided zones of two major recrystallization behaviors.

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The Reappraisal and Appropriate Use of Benzodiazepine (Benzodiazepine의 재평가 및 적절한 사용)

  • Park Sung-Hyouk;Kim Chan-Hyung
    • Anxiety and mood
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.31-36
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    • 2005
  • Benzodiazepine (BDZ) has the possibilities of development of tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and abuse/addiction, as well as chronically adverse effects. Although many guidelines have proposed the restricted prescription of them, their uses in many psychiatric areas as well as primary practice are still wide spread. So we tried to reappraise the clinical characteristics of BDZ and then to consider the appropriate use. Firstly, meta-analyses on long-term use of BDZ indicated the cognitive impairment, which could be improved after discontinuation of BDZ. Next, there have been some evidences that the long-term use of BDZ does not develop tolerance, contrary to our concern, and maintains good anxiolytic effects. Also, physiological dependence should be discriminated from abuse/addiction, assuming the reality that the risk of BDZ abuse/addiction is surely overestimated. These issues are discussed in detail.

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Exercise and Health in Women (여성의 건강과 운동)

  • Yu, Seon-Mi
    • Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.147-164
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    • 2005
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity on women's health. I conducted literature reviews for meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials with the target diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers osteoporosis, and pregnancy outcomes. Women who were active had less total mortality and smaller incidence of hypertension, coronary heart diseases, and stroke. Exercise was better than drug therapies in preventing diabetes and effective in preventing colon and breast cancers. Exercise can reduce the risks of falling injury in elderly women. Walking during pregnancy was not harmful to the mothers and their infants, and desirable to prevent the complications of pregnancy or weight gain after pregnancy. Physical activity at work and leisure-time showed similar effects on women's health. Based on these results, moderate-intensity physical activity should be recommended to all women, Resistive, muscle strength, and balance-training exercise also can be recommended. Doctors' advices are effective to make women exercise, especially using handouts or motivational interviewing techniques. It is desirable to recommend to peform other health promotion measures together such as smoking cessation, weight control and diet control.

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Optimum design of steel frames with semi-rigid connections using Big Bang-Big Crunch method

  • Rafiee, A.;Talatahari, S.;Hadidi, A.
    • Steel and Composite Structures
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    • v.14 no.5
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    • pp.431-451
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    • 2013
  • The Big Bang-Big Crunch (BB-BC) optimization algorithm is developed for optimal design of non-linear steel frames with semi-rigid beam-to-column connections. The design algorithm obtains the minimum total cost which comprises total member plus connection costs by selecting suitable sections. Displacement and stress constraints together with the geometry constraints are imposed on the frame in the optimum design procedure. In addition, non-linear analyses considering the P-${\Delta}$ effects of beam-column members are performed during the optimization process. Three design examples with various types of connections are presented and the results show the efficiency of using semi-rigid connection models in comparing to rigid connections. The obtained optimum semi-rigid frames are more economical solutions and lead to more realistic predictions of response and strength of the structure.

The Current Evidence on Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  • Oh, Dongryul;Kim, Jong Hoon
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.53 no.4
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    • pp.160-167
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    • 2020
  • Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended to improve survival, based on the results of several randomized trials and meta-analyses. However, controversy remains regarding how to combine surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Moreover, in East Asia, the predominant histological type is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which has a different epidemiology and tumor biology from esophageal or gastroesophageal junctional adenocarcinoma. As such, the management of esophageal cancer in East Asia seems to be different from that in Western countries. Thus, this article reviews the current evidence on neoadjuvant therapy and considers the optimal combinations and ongoing strategies of multimodal therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Applications of Harmony Search in parameter estimation of probability distribution models for non-homogeneous hydro-meteorological extreme events

  • Lee, Tae-Sam;Yoon, Suk-Min;Gang, Myung-Kook;Shin, Ju-Young;Jung, Chang-Sam
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2012.05a
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    • pp.258-258
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    • 2012
  • In frequency analyses of hydrological data, it is necessary for the interested variables to be homogenous and independent. However, recent evidences have shown that the occurrence of extreme hydro-meteorological events is influenced by large-scale climate variability, and the assumption of homogeneity does not generally hold anymore. Therefore, in order to associate the non-homogenous characteristics of hydro-meteorological variables, we propose the parameter estimation method of probability models using meta-heuristic algorithms, specifically harmony search. All the weather stations in South Korea were employed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approaches. The results showed that the proposed parameter estimation method using harmony search is a comparativealternative for the probability distribution of the non-homogenous hydro-meteorological variables data.

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Review of epidemiological studies on air pollution and health effects in children

  • Lee, Jong-Tae
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.64 no.1
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    • pp.3-11
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    • 2021
  • There is a growing body of literature on the adverse health effects of ambient air pollution. Children are more adversely affected by air pollution due to their biological susceptibility and exposure patterns. This review summarized the accumulated epidemiologic evidence with emphasis on studies conducted in Korea and heterogeneity in the literature. Based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is consistent evidence on the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and children's health, especially respiratory health and adverse birth outcomes, and growing evidence on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Despite these existing studies, the mechanism of the adverse health effects of air pollution and the critical window of susceptibility remain unclear. There is also a need to identify causes of heterogeneity between studies in terms of measurement of exposure/outcome, study design, and the differential characteristics of air pollutants and population.