• Title/Summary/Keyword: Performance Improvement

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Structural Relationships Among Factors to Adoption of Telehealth Service (원격의료서비스 수용요인의 구조적 관계 실증연구)

  • Kim, Sung-Soo;Ryu, See-Won
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.71-96
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    • 2011
  • Within the traditional medical delivery system, patients residing in medically vulnerable areas, those with body movement difficulties, and nursing facility residents have had limited access to good healthcare services. However, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provides us with a convenient and useful means of overcoming distance and time constraints. ICT is integrated with biomedical science and technology in a way that offers a new high-quality medical service. As a result, rapid technological advancement is expected to play a pivotal role bringing about innovation in a wide range of medical service areas, such as medical management, testing, diagnosis, and treatment; offering new and improved healthcare services; and effecting dramatic changes in current medical services. The increase in aging population and chronic diseases has caused an increase in medical expenses. In response to the increasing demand for efficient healthcare services, a telehealth service based on ICT is being emphasized on a global level. Telehealth services have been implemented especially in pilot projects and system development and technological research. With the service about to be implemented in earnest, it is necessary to study its overall acceptance by consumers, which is expected to contribute to the development and activation of a variety of services. In this sense, the study aims at positively examining the structural relationship among the acceptance factors for telehealth services based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected by showing audiovisual material on telehealth services to online panels and requesting them to respond to a structured questionnaire sheet, which is known as the information acceleration method. Among the 1,165 adult respondents, 608 valid samples were finally chosen, while the remaining were excluded because of incomplete answers or allotted time overrun. In order to test the reliability and validity of the assessment scale items, we carried out reliability and factor analyses, and in order to explore the causal relation among potential variables, we conducted a structural equation modeling analysis using AMOS 7.0 and SPSS 17.0. The research outcomes are as follows. First, service quality, innovativeness of medical technology, and social influence were shown to affect perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the telehealth service, which was statistically significant, and the two factors had a positive impact on willingness to accept the telehealth service. In addition, social influence had a direct, significant effect on intention to use, which is paralleled by the TAM used in previous research on technology acceptance. This shows that the research model proposed in the study effectively explains the acceptance of the telehealth service. Second, the research model reveals that information privacy concerns had a insignificant impact on perceived ease of use of the telehealth service. From this, it can be gathered that the concerns over information protection and security are reduced further due to advancements in information technology compared to the initial period in the information technology industry, and thus the improvement in quality of medical services appeared to ensure that information privacy concerns did not act as a prohibiting factor in the acceptance of the telehealth service. Thus, if other factors have an enormous impact on ease of use and usefulness, concerns over these results in the initial period of technology acceptance may become irrelevant. However, it is clear that users' information privacy concerns, as other studies have revealed, is a major factor affecting technology acceptance. Thus, caution must be exercised while interpreting the result, and further study is required on the issue. Numerous information technologies with outstanding performance and innovativeness often attract few consumers. A revised bill for those urgently in need of telehealth services is about to be approved in the national assembly. As telemedicine is implemented between doctors and patients, a wide range of systems that will improve the quality of healthcare services will be designed. In this sense, the study on the consumer acceptance of telehealth services is meaningful and offers strong academic evidence. Based on the implications, it can be expected to contribute to the activation of telehealth services. Further study is needed to assess the acceptance factors for telehealth services, such as motivation to remain healthy, health care involvement, knowledge on health, and control of health-related behavior, in order to develop unique services according to the categorization of customers based on health factors. In addition, further study may focus on various theoretical cognitive behavior models other than the TAM, such as the health belief model.

Evaluation on Reproducibility of Low-Dose Kidney Scan in Dynamic Kidney Scan (동적신장검사에서 저선량을 사용한 신장검사의 재현성 평가)

  • Lee, Jaesang;Lee, Kyuchan;Lee, Seunghwan;Bae, Seongbok;Park, Jongyeop
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.59-65
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    • 2016
  • Purpose Dynamic kidney scan is a typical imaging technique that visualizes kidney function. Reproducibility of dynamic kidney scans has been evaluated by comparing low-dose kidney scans with low-dose radiopharmaceutical and standard dynamic kidney scan. With this comparative study, if reproducibility is superb, the dynamic kidney scan method with reduced radioactivity to patients is to be utilized and radiation exposure to patient is to be reduced. Materials and Methods For gamma camera, Orbiter, SymbiaE (Siemens, Germany) was used. Among patients who had used 370 Mbq (10 mCi) from January of 2013 to February 2014 and other patients who had used 185 Mbq (5 mCi) from March of 2014 to July of 2015 with identical condition, 21 subjects using DTPA and 20 subjects using $MAG_3$, 41 subjects in total, had been selected as subjects for data. From renogram of the result image, frame of the peak point was selected. Then, region of interest of kidney and background had been selected and Kidney to Background Ratio has been calculated for comparison. Results In tests using DTPA, kidney to background ratio when using 370 Mbq was $5.67{\pm}0.8$ at average while it was $5.62{\pm}0.87$ when using 185 Mbq, which didn't show much difference. Also in the tests using $MAG_3$, kidney to background ratio when using 370 Mbq was $14.95{\pm}2.58$ at average and $14.56{\pm}2.02$ in 185 Mbq, which neither showed much difference. In paired sample t-test, p-value was 0.566 in DTPA and 0.363 in $MAG_3$, which confirmed that there was no difference between the groups. Conclusion In identical patients, when dose was decreased from 370 Mbq to 185 Mbq, reproducibility of dynamic kidney scan was proven to be excellent. Low-dose Dynamic kidney scan can achieve results with fine reproducibility without improvement in performance of gamma camera and is expected to reduce radiation exposure to patient.

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Growth and Survival of the Spat of Arkshell, Scapharca broughtonii in Intermediate Culture with Different Shape of Protective Net and Type of Preventive Net of Spat Loss (피조개, Scaphara broughtonii 부착치패의 중간양성시 보호망 형태와 유실방지망 종류에 따른 성장과 생존)

  • Kim, Byeong-Hak;Shin, Yun-Kyung;Park, Ki-Yeol;Choi, Nack-Joong;Oh, Bong-Se;Min, Byeong-Hee
    • The Korean Journal of Malacology
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    • v.24 no.2
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    • pp.131-136
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    • 2008
  • Growth and survival of the spat of arkshell, Scapharca broughtonii were investigated for the improvement of survival in intermediate culture with different shape of protective net and type of preventive net of spat loss. The growth performance of the spat of arkshell was observed for 60 days by using different forms of protective net, as the exposure form with an average shell length of $12.8{\pm}3.2$ mm(P<0.05), the fish pot form with $12.2{\pm}3.5$ mm, the cylinder form with $11.9{\pm}3.8$ mm and the last one is the rectangular form with $10.9{\pm}3.7$ mm. Their numerical value did not show any marked difference with each other. But in case of survival rate, the fish pot form showed highest survival rate which is 43.7% and the significantly lowest was showed by the exposure form, which is 5.4%(P<0.05). The cylinder form and rectangular form showed 41.2 and 31.6% respectively. And then the growth of the spat of arkshell was observed for 163 days by rearing in a sort of preventive net, the first group was in a blackout curtain with average shell length of $13.9{\pm}3.1$ mm, the next group was in a balsam pear net with $12.9{\pm}3.0$ mm, in a polyethylene net with $11.8{\pm}3.1$ mm and the control with $12.6{\pm}3.3$ mm which was not installed by preventive net of spat loss. The survival rate was 91.5% in a blackout curtain, 90.1% in a polyethylene net, 88.5% in a balsam pear net and 61.5% in a controlled group. It is seen that the highest growth and survival rate were observed in a fish pot form and cylinder form. These results were a little bit difference from those of the spat of arkshell cultured in the form of different preventive nets. There was no significant difference in survival rate in relation to the sorts of preventive net against carrying-away, but there was a difference in survival rate by more than 30% as against the non-installed controlled group. We expect that survival rate would be highly improved in intermediate culture carried out with fish pot form and cylinder form of protective net and preventive net of spat loss.

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Evaluation of lines of NERICA 1 introgressed with Gn1a and WFP for yield and yield components as affected by nitrogen fertilization in Kenya

  • Makihara, Daigo;Samejima, Hiroaki;Kikuta, Mayumi;Kimani, John M.;Ashikari, Motoyuki;Angeles-Shim, Rosalyn;Sunohara, Hidehiko;Jena, Kshirod K.;Yamauchi, Akira;Doi, Kazuyuki
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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    • 2017.06a
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    • pp.323-323
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    • 2017
  • In many sub-Saharan African countries, boosting rice production is a pressing food security issue. To contribute to the increase in rice production, we have developed lines of NERICA 1 introgressed with the gene for spikelet number, Gn1a, and the gene for primary rachis-branch number, WFP by cross breeding. The performance of rice lines introgressed with the genes for yield related traits can be affected by cultivation environment and management. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the lines of NERICA 1 introgressed with Gn1a or/and WFP for yield and yield components under different nitrogen fertilization conditions in Kenya. A field trial was conducted at a paddy field in Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization-Mwea, Kirinyaga County ($0^{\circ}39^{\prime}S$, $0^{\circ}20^{\prime}E$) from August 2016 to January 2017. Eight lines of NERICA 1 introgressed with Gn1a and/or WFP, and their parents, NERICA 1 and ST12, were grown under 0 (NF) and $75(SF)kg\;N\;ha^{-1}$. At maturity, five hills per plot were harvested to determine the yield and yield components. The number of primary and secondary rachis-branches per panicle was measured on the longest panicle in each hill. Under SF, the introgression of WFP to NERICA 1 increased the number of primary and secondary rachis-branches by 27 and 25%, respectively. On the other hand, Gn1a did not increase the number of primary rachis-branches, whereas the number of secondary rachis-branches was increased by 38% on average. The number of primary and secondary rachis-branches of the lines introgressed with both genes increased by 25 and 56%, respectively. Although grain number per panicle increased 33% by Gn1a, 34% by WFP, and 43% by Gn1a+WFP, the yield increase by Gn1a, WFP, and Gn1a+WFP was only 14, 7, and 14%, respectively. The suppression of the yield increase was mainly attributed to the decline in the filled grain ratio. Under NF, WFP increased the number of primary and secondary rachis-branches by 20 and 19%, respectively. The introgression of both genes increased the former and the later by 19 and 35%, respectively. However, Gn1a did not change them under NF. Thus, even under NF, grain yield increased 11% by WFP and 24% by Gn1a+WFP due to the increased grain number although filled grain ratio declined. Our findings suggest that the introgression of Gn1a and WFP could contribute to the rice productivity improvement in sub-Saharan Africa even under low fertility conditions. Improving filled grain ratio of the lines introgressed with these genes by further breeding and fertilization management will be the focus of subsequent work.

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Studies on Feed Formulation to Reduce Methane Emission and Optimal Rearing Density for Environmental-Friendly Hanwoo Production (친환경 한우 생산을 위한 메탄 저감용 사료 배합 및 적정 사육밀도에 관한 연구)

  • Shin, Jong-Suh;Choi, Byoung-Yang;Kim, Mi-Jung;Kim, Sung-Gi;Ra, Changsix
    • Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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    • v.17 no.sup
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    • pp.7-20
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    • 2011
  • This study was conducted to analyze the mixing ratio of raw feed materials for the methane mitigation and also to identify the minimum rearing density for improving the productivity of beef calves as eco-friendly fodder. Raw materials used in this study for the formulation of feed for methane reduction were crushed corn and alfalfa along with other 21 species. In addition, to investigate the appropriate rearing density, 12 Hanwoo calves with average weight of 150 kg was selected and experiment was conducted for four months. Methane gas emission (Bo) is about 3-4 times less in TMR 4 compared to TMR 1, 2 and 3. Feed price calculated for TMR 4 ration was also affordable. In addition, all TMRs showed a normal ruminal pH. Disappearance rate was observed to be lower in TMR 4 as compared to TMR 1, 2 and 3, but methane production decreased by 24 to 37%. The result showed improved total body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio in rearing low-density ($18m^2/head$), and general treatment ($9m^2/head$) compared to overcrowding treatment ($6m^2/head$). In addition, blood components (total protein, glucose, AST, ALT and GGT factors) involved in health and disease treatments and health-related nutrition metabolism are lower in the low-density and general treatment compared to the high density treatment. Postural development (development of body size) i.e., weight, height and width significantly increased in the low and general density treatment compared to high density treatment. Especially excellent improvement was observed in low-density treatment than the general treatment. Moisture content, colonic bacteria and coccidium are higher in low and high density treatments than in the general treatment. The adequacy for beef rearing density is considered to be more desirable in an area more than $6m^2/head$. In conclusion, present study suggests that possibility of methane reduction through adjusting mixed feed ration. Also, rearing density is also an important factor in the growth and development of beef calves.

A Role of Trial Radiation Therapy in the Pineal Region Tumors (송과체부 종양에서 시험적 방사선치료의 역할)

  • Kim, Yeon-Shil;Ryu, Mi-Ryung;Chung, Su-Mi;Kim, Moon-Chan;Yoon, Sei-Chul
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.100-107
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    • 2002
  • Purpose : The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the treatment results of 30 patients with pineal region tumors who were underwent radiation therapy under the diagnosis by either CT or MRI. There was no histological verification. We analyzed the prognostic factors that have a significant effect on the overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates. Materials and Methods : A total 30 patients with pineal region tumors were treated between March 1983 and August 1995. After a trial radiation therapy of $20\~30\;Gy/2\~3$ weeks, the patients were evaluated for their clinical response and radiological response by either CT or MRI and the final treatment direction was then decided. According to their response to the trial radiation therapy and the involved site, radiation treatment was given in various fields i.e., local, ventricle, whole brain and craniospinal field. The radiation dose ranged from 40.8 to 59.4 Gy (Median 50.4 Gy). The median follow up was 36.5 months $(4\~172\;months)$. Results : An improvement or stability in the clinical symptoms was observed in 28 patients $(93.3\%)$ after the trial RT. Nineteen patients $(63.3\%)$ showed a partial or complete response by CT or MRI. The two-year and five-year survival rates of the patients were $66.7\%$ and $55.1\%$, respectively. No significant difference in the survival rates according to the degree of the radiological response was abserved after the trial RT. The results of univariate analysis showed that age, the primary site, the performance status $(KPS\geq70)$, the degree of response after completing RT and the RT field were significant prognostic factors affecting the survival and disease free survival rates (p<0.05). Conclusion : The clinical and histological characteristics of pineal region tumors are quite complex and diverse. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the histological diagnosis and the possibility of radiocurability only with the initial response to RT. We think that the development of less invasive histological diagnostic techniques and tailored treatment to the histological type of each tumor are needed.

Measurement of competency through self study in basic nursing lab. practice focused on cleansing enema (기본간호학 실습에 있어 자가학습을 통한 능숙도 측정 - 배변관장을 중심으로 -)

  • Ko Il-Sun
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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    • v.6 no.3
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    • pp.532-543
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    • 1999
  • This study was conducted to provide the basic data necessary for the improvement of the teaching method for basic nursing practice as well as the effectiveness of the practice by examining the students' competency in cleansing enema after doing the self study instead of the traditional education. To examine the competency in cleansing enema after the self study, this study is an one group pretest-posttest design that subjects did the enema practice through the self study. The subjects were 89 sophomore students at Y University. College of Nursing. In basic nursing lab practice class, cleansing enema self study module was given to the students which was developed by the researcher based on the literature review and asked them to finish doing the pre study and checking the self study evaluation criteria after reading the goal, learning activities and theoretical guideline. After watching the video tape, students practiced the process in the module by themselves. For the competency in cleansing enema. repeated autonomous practices were done during the open lab other than the regular class. Whenever the practice was done, the frequency and time were measure and documented. When the student felt confident through repeated practices, the competency was evaluated by the researcher and two assistants based on the evaluation criteria. And the process was repeated till the student could perform all the items on evaluation criteria completely. The data were collected for 42 days from Oct. 15 to Nov. 26 in 1996. Collected data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, Pearson correlation coefficient and variance analysis. The results are summarized as follows : 1. 43.2% of the students were favorable to nursing and 63.6% like lecture, but 71.6% like practice. So they were more interested in practice than in lecture. 2. 62.3% of the students scored high in written test, 97.8% scored high in practice. So the practice score was better. 3. The frequency of repeated practice to pass the test ranged from 1 to 4 and the average is 2.2. 4. The average time needed in preparation and the performance was nearly the same regardless of the frequency. It took 5 to 38 minutes for those who passed the test after practicing once and the average was 16 minutes. 5 to 60 minutes were taken for those who practiced twice to pass the test and the average was 21 minutes. Those who passed the test after three practices needed 8 to 30 minutes and the average was 15 minutes, which was similar to the time that the students who passed the test for the first trial. Only one student passed the test after 4 practices and it took 10 minutes. 5. 64% of the students agreed that the context and the content of the module were appropriate for the self study and 68.2% were satisfied. And 71.9% said that the module helped them to practice the enema self study 6. Though only 42% of the students were satisfied with the video. 50.6% said that it was helpful for the self study. 7. 52.3% of the students were satisfied with the self study method, and 86.6% obtained self-confidence when performing the enema. 8. The lower the student's practice score was, the more practices were needed for them to pass the test(r=-.213, P<.05). As a result, for performing the enema practice competently, two or more practice opportunities were needed to be given. And it is possible to obtain the less complex nursing skills through the self study, when enough learning resources and assistance such as learning guidance or video tapes are provided. Based on this study. I want to suggest that. 1. There must be college policy that can support the new method instead of the traditional learning method for the students to attain the proficiency in basic nursing skills. 2. The assistant materials should be developed as soon as possible to promote the self study of basic nursing skills.

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Middle school Home Economics teachers' perception and actual performance of self-supervision at school related to Home Economics (중학교 가정과 교사의 교과 관련 교내 자율장학에 대한 인식과 실태)

  • Go, Mi-Young;Chae, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.22 no.4
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    • pp.91-107
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    • 2010
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate what middle school Home Economics(HE) teachers perceive, practice and need for self-supervision at school related to HE. Questionnaires were sent by E-mail and 150 were collected. Descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA analysis were reported using SPSS/win 10.1. The results of this research were as follows: First, middle school HE teachers perceived that self-supervision at school was essential since it promoted self reflection of teachers themselves and improved professional skills. Furthermore, peer-coaching was highly preferred. Second, negative responses to the supervision of principal, vice-principal, and peer teachers overwhelmed positive answers. Information exchange among peer teachers was frequent, yet, approximately 22.6% of middle school HE teachers were still avoiding sharing information process for several reasons. About half of the teachers answered that all teachers needed to participate in this process. Third, they pointed out that self-supervision at school was not implemented well because of the lack of time due to the heavy work load, negative and passive attitude for the improvement of teaching-learning activities, administration-centered supervision that did not reflect teachers' opinion, and shortage of economical, and environmental support.. HE teachers perceived that peer teachers who were doing good practices were most helpful for the supervision. Also, they preferred self-evaluation at the end of the self-supervision at school. Forth, to improve self-supervision at school, there were very high demands for reduction of administrative work, additional time, fundamental philosophy toward HE education. Fifth, the purpose and detailed plans of self-supervision were recognized as the results that were democratically derived by the HE teachers. Sixth, class inspection and informal inspection were operated once in a year, and self-training was rarely operated. Peer coaching and self-coaching were operated occasionally. Self-coaching and peer coaching were reported as the most helpful types of supervision. In addition, HE teachers answered that supervision was helpful to teaching method followed by contents, evaluation, and philosophy of education.

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A Study on Utilization and Perceived Service Quality of the University Foodservice (대학급식 이용실태 및 급식서비스 품질이 고객만족과 고객태도에 미치는 영향)

  • Jung, Hyun-Young
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.42 no.4
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    • pp.633-643
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    • 2013
  • This study investigated the efficiency of university foodservice operations by analyzing the effect of consumer's perception towards university foodservice quality. University students in the Jeonnam area were surveyed and 571 out of 700 surveys were chosen (response rate: 97.0%). SPSS (ver. 20.0) was used to conduct descriptive analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, t-test, and multiple regression analysis. The results show that 21.9% of university students have never used the university foodservice, while 48.7% of university students have eaten there 1~2 times per week. The most common reasons reported for avoiding the university foodservice were a limited menu selection (51.5%) and an untasty food (45.8%). The perception of overall service quality at the university foodservice scored relatively low (3.01 points), compared with its importance (3.89 points). The food taste, menu variety, and quality of food ingredients are factors that require improvement for operational strategies by the importance-performance analysis (IPA). The food factors (taste, variety, and quality) among university foodservice qualities had a significantly positive effect on consumers' overall satisfaction (p<0.001), perceived value (p<0.01), intent to recommend (p<0.001), and intent to revisit (p<0.01). These result indicate that the university foodservice management should focus on developing food factors and strive to meet the needs of university students through continuous customer surveys.

Modification and Validation of Analytical Method for Oxypaeoniflorin and Paeoniflorin in Moutan Cortex Radicis Extract (목단피 추출물의 Oxypaeoniflorin 및 Paeoniflorin의 분석법 개선 및 검증)

  • Choi, Seung-Hyun;Yoo, Chang-Kil;Hwang, Ji-Hyun;Lee, Gi-Bbeum;Lee, Young-Jin;Lee, Boo-Yong;Lee, Ok-Hwan
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.46 no.9
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    • pp.1091-1096
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    • 2017
  • The aim of this study was the validation of a modified analytical method for determination of oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin in Moutan Cortex Radicis extract. For validation of the analytical method, we modified established analytical methods and validated improvement. For validation, the specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification of oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The results show that the correlation coefficients of the calibration curve for oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin were 1.0000 and 0.9998, respectively. The LOD for oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin were $0.23{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.25{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The inter-day and intra-day precision values of oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin were 0.70~3.19% and 1.74~2.43%, and 0.32~0.92% and 0.62~2.28%, respectively. The inter-day and intra-day accuracies of oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin were 98.33~102.11% and 97.72~118.12%, and 98.44~101.56% and 97.10~112.00%, respectively. Therefore, the analytical method was validated for the detection of oxypaeoniflorin and paeoniflorin in Moutan Cortex Radicis.