• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.124-136
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• 2015

Purpose: Grain quality is a general concept that covers many characteristics, ranging from physical to biochemical and physiochemical properties. Rice aging during storage is currently a challenge in the rice industry, and is a complicated process involving changes in all of the above properties. Spectroscopic techniques can be used to obtain information on the quality of rice samples in a non-destructive manner. Methods: The objective of this review was to highlight the factors that contribute to rice quality and aging, and to describe various spectroscopic modalities, particularly vibrational and hyperspectral imaging, for the assessment of rice quality. Results: Starch and protein are the main components of the rice endosperm, and are therefore key factors contributing to eating and cooking quality. While the overall starch, protein, and lipid content in the rice grain remains essentially unchanged during storage, structural changes do occur. These changes affect pasting and gel properties, and ultimately the flavor of cooked rice. In addition, grain quality is significantly affected by growing and environmental conditions, such as water availability, temperature, fertilizer application, and salinity stress. These properties can be evaluated using spectroscopic techniques, and rice samples can be discriminated by using multivariate statistical analysis methods. Conclusion: Hyperspectral imaging and vibrational spectroscopy techniques have good potential for determining rice quality properties in a non-invasive manner, i.e., not requiring the introduction of instruments into the rice grain.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.532-543
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• 2009

The foodservice franchise is preferred by the founders who inaugurate a business enterprise, because it is not difficult to convert into money more than other private enterprise. The success or failure of the foodservice franchise depends 80 percent on its location. Therefore, this research aimed to study the location factors of the first shops of foodservice franchise in Seoul through the analyses of nearest neighborhood effect and statistical relationship between variables. According to there results, the location characteristics of the first shops of foodservice franchise are summarized as in the following three items. First, the spatial distribution pattern of the first shops is a clustered type. Second, the first shops relate to the 15 variables which are the number of financial facilities, the number of business service offices, and the number of hotels and restaurants, etc. Third, the main location factor of the first shops is the number of financial facilities. In conclusion, it is estimated that Gangnam-gu and Jung-gu might be good for the location of the first shops of foodservice franchise in Seoul, because these two places have many financial buildings.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.379-385
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• 2017

In this study, white ginseng was used as the raw material, which was fermented with Paecilomyces hepiali through solid culture medium, to produce ginsenosides with modified chemical composition. The characteristic chemical markers of the products thus produced were investigated using rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-QTOF-MS). Chemical profiling data were obtained, which were then subjected to multivariate statistical analysis for the systematic comparison of active ingredients in white ginseng and fermented ginseng to understand the beneficial properties of ginsenoside metabolites. In addition, the effects of these components on biological activity were investigated to understand the improvements in the phagocytic function of macrophages in zebrafish. According to the established RRLC-QTOF-MS chemical profiling, the contents in ginsenosides of high molecular weight, especially malonylated protopanaxadiol ginsenosides, were slightly reduced due to the fermentation, which were hydrolyzed into rare and minor ginsenosides. Moreover, the facilitation of macrophage phagocytic function in zebrafish following treatment with different ginseng extracts confirmed that the fermented ginseng is superior to white ginseng. Our results prove that there is a profound change in chemical constituents of ginsenosides during the fermentation process, which has a significant effect on the biological activity of these compounds.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.51-60
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• 2017

In this study, the concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in agricultural soils across a region of South Korea (Buyeo County) were investigated. Their pollution sources were assessed using multivariate statistical analysis, and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology was used to determine the distribution of these elements. Surface soil samples were collected from 114 locations across the agricultural fields in the study site. Cu and Zn were derived from natural sources (i.e., parent rocks of the soil), whereas As, Cd, and Pb were found to be originated from abandoned mines. The results of this study clearly show that the transport of anthropogenic As, Cd, and Pb is governed mostly by the specific environment of the paddy soil. Our approach was effective in clearly identifying the sources of metals and analyzing their contamination characteristics. We believe this study will provide useful information to future studies on soil pollution by anthropogenic sources.

• Gut and Liver
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.704-713
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• 2018

Background/Aims: Gastric varices (GVs) are a major cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. The current treatments of choice are balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) and the placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). We aimed to compare the efficacy and outcomes of these two methods for the management of GV bleeding. Methods: This retrospective study included consecutive patients who received BRTO (n=157) or TIPS (n=19) to control GV bleeding from January 2005 to December 2014 at a single tertiary hospital in Korea. The overall survival (OS), immediate bleeding control rate, rebleeding rate and complication rate were compared between patients in the BRTO and TIPS groups. Results: Patients in the BRTO group showed higher immediate bleeding control rates (p=0.059, odds ratio [OR]=4.72) and lower cumulative rebleeding rates (logrank p=0.060) than those in the TIPS group, although the difference failed to reach statistical significance. There were no significant differences in the rates of complications, including pleural effusion, aggravation of esophageal varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, and portosystemic encephalopathy, although the rate of the progression of ascites was significantly higher in the BRTO group (p=0.02, OR=7.93). After adjusting for several confounding factors using a multivariate Cox analysis, the BRTO group had a significantly longer OS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=0.44, p=0.01) and a longer rebleeding-free survival (aHR=0.34, p=0.001) than the TIPS group. Conclusions: BRTO provides better bleeding control, rebleeding-free survival, and OS than TIPS for patients with GV bleeding.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.34-34
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• 2016

강우는 우리의 일상생활뿐만 아니라 각종 산업 활동 및 레저스포츠 등 많은 분야에 영향을 주는 중요한 기상 현상이다. 최근 들어 우리나라는 기후변화로 인해 과거 장마기간에 발생하였던 강우집중 현상이 장마기간 전후되어 발생하는 게릴라성 집중호우나 급작스런 이상강우의 형태를 보이고 있으며 그로 인해 홍수 예 경보체계 구축에 대한 중요성이 높아지고 있다. 하지만 우리나라의 경우 홍수 예 경보 체계 및 수공구조물 건설 등이 국가하천 위주로 운영되어 소하천에 대한 연구와 대책이 부족한 실정이다. 최근 이상호우에 의한 홍수피해 사례를 보면 지방하천 혹은 소하천으로부터 발생한 재산 및 인명피해가 크다는 것을 알 수 있으며 이를 관리하기 위한 시스템 구축이 절실한 상황이다. 특히 도시하천의 홍수방재를 위해서는 안정적이고 체계적인 도시하천관리가 필요한데 이를 위해서는 도시하천의 특성을 정확히 파악하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 국내에서 하천의 특성에 관한 연구동향을 살펴보면 대부분의 연구가 하천수질 관점에서 하천특성을 규명하는 목적으로 수행 되었고 홍수 방재를 위한 수문학적인 관점에서의 하천 특성을 도출하는 연구는 미비한 실정이다. 수문학적 관점에서의 하천특성은 유역면적, 도달시간, 형상계수 등 유역특성인자를 말하며 국내 하천에 적용 할 수 있는 대표 유역특성인자를 도출을 위해서는 통계학적인 방법이 필수적이다. 그 중에서도 요인분석, 주성분분석, 군집분석 등 다변량 통계기법을 이용한 분석 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 GIS분석과 지자체에서 제공하는 소하천정비기본계획을 통해 도시하천의 유역특성인자를 선정하고, 수문분야에서의 적용성이 높은 다변량 통계분석기법을 이용하여 우리나라를 대표할 수 있는 도시하천의 특성 및 권역별 도시하천의 특성을 도출하였다. 또한 대조군에 적용하여 도출된 특성의 적정성을 평가하였고 이를 통해 도시하천 관리에 이용될 수 있는 도시하천의 특성을 제시하고자 한다.

• Neurospine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.376-382
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with inpatient admission following 2-level cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA). A secondary aim was to compare outcomes between those treated on an inpatient versus outpatient basis. Methods: Using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent effect of each variable on inpatient or outpatient selection for surgery. Statistical significance was defined by p-values <0.05. The factors considered were age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, history of dyspnea or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, previous cardiac intervention or surgery, steroid usage, and history of bleeding. In addition, whether the operation was performed by an orthopedic or neurosurgical specialist was analyzed. Results: The number of 2-level CDA procedures increased from 6 cases reported in 2014 to 142 in 2016, although a statistically significant increase in the number of outpatient cases performed was not seen (p=0.2). The factors found to be significantly associated with inpatient status following surgery were BMI (p=0.019) and diabetes mellitus requiring insulin (p=0.043). There were no significant differences in complication and readmission rates between the inpatient and outpatient groups. Conclusion: Patients undergoing inpatient 2-level CDA had significantly higher rates of obesity and diabetes requiring insulin than did patients undergoing the same procedure in the outpatient setting. With no difference in complication or readmission rates, 2-level CDA may be considered safe in the outpatient setting in appropriately selected patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1077-1088
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• 2018

Objective: To correlate CT parameters on detector-based dual-energy CT enterography (DECTE) with Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and externally validate quantitative CT parameters. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients with CD were retrospectively enrolled. Two radiologists reviewed DECTE images by consensus for qualitative and quantitative CT features. CT attenuation and iodine concentration for the diseased bowel were also measured. Univariate statistical tests were used to evaluate whether there was a significant difference in CTE features between remission and active groups, on the basis of the CDAI score. Pearson's correlation test and multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the correlation between quantitative CT parameters and CDAI. For external validation, an additional 33 consecutive patients were recruited. The correlation and concordance rate were calculated between real and estimated CDAI. Results: There were significant differences between remission and active groups in the bowel enhancement pattern, subjective degree of enhancement, mesenteric fat infiltration, comb sign, and obstruction (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between CDAI and quantitative CT parameters, including number of lesions (correlation coefficient, r = 0.573), bowel wall thickness (r = 0.477), iodine concentration (r = 0.744), and relative degree of enhancement (r = 0.541; p < 0.05). Iodine concentration remained the sole independent variable associated with CDAI in multivariate analysis (p = 0.001). The linear regression equation for CDAI (y) and iodine concentration (x) was y = 53.549x + 55.111. For validation patients, a significant correlation (r = 0.925; p < 0.001) and high concordance rate (87.9%, 29/33) were observed between real and estimated CDAIs. Conclusion: Iodine concentration, measured on detector-based DECTE, represents a convenient and reproducible biomarker to monitor disease activity in CD.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.91-100
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• 2018

Benzisothiazolinone (BIT) is the preservative that is widely used in industrial and household products. In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) was exposed to BIT at different concentrations (control, 0.5 g/L, 1.0 g/L and 2.0 g/L) for 72 hours. The techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were applied to analyze the effects of BIT on zebrafish. The advantages of NMR are the minimal sample preparation and high reproducibility of experimental results. With the multivariate statistical analysis, dimethylamine, N-acetylaspartate, glycine and histidine were identified as an important metabolite in differentiating between the control and BIT-exposed group. This study will improve the understanding the metabolite changes in the zebrafish in response to BIT exposure.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2021

Background: Neck pain is a major public health problem among sewing machine operators working in textile factories. Even though the textile industries are growing in number in Ethiopia, but there is a dearth of published studies on the prevalence of neck pain. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of neck pain among sewing machine operators of garment factories in Mekelle city. Method: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was implemented among 297 sewing machine operators' working in garment factories in Mekelle city. A systematic random sampling technique was used. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 23. Finally, variables with 95% confidence interval (CI): p < 0.05 in the multivariate analysis were significantly declared. Results: Two hundred ninety-seven sewing machine operators were enrolled, with 98.7% response rates. In this study, the 12-month prevalence rate of neck pain was found to be 42.3% (95% CI: 36.6%-47.9%), and variables like such as break time [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.888, 95% CI: (2.775-12.493)], working hours per day [AOR: 6.495, 95% CI: (2.216-19.038)], static posture [AOR: 4.487, 95% CI (1.640-12.275)], and repetitive activity [AOR: 4.519, 95% CI:(2.057-9.924)] were associated with neck pain. Conclusion: In this study, neck pain is a major public health problem. Continuous work without break time, working greater than 8 hours per day, sitting in the same position for greater than 2 hours, and high repetitive activities were found significantly associated with neck pain. Owners and governmental bodies need to focus on developing preventive strategies and safety guidelines.