• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.116-123
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of targeting risk factors for the control of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) among high-risk infants in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Infants admitted to the NICU and diagnosed with CLABSI from January to December 2013 were eligible for inclusion to the study. The CLABSI group (n=47) was matched in a 1:2 ratio to the control group (n=94) based on gestational age, birth weight, and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology-II. Risk factors for CLABSI were identified using the Cox proportional hazard model, and analysis of the effect of these risk factors targeting infection control was performed. Results: The risk factors associated with CLABSI were prolonged central line dwell days (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.028; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.011 to 1.045; P=0.001), use of a silicone catheter (adjusted HR, 5.895; 95% CI, 1.893 to 18.355; P=0.002), surgical treatment (adjusted HR, 3.793; 95% CI, 1.467 to 9.805; P=0.006), and less probiotic supplementation (adjusted HR, 0.254; 95% CI, 0.068 to 0.949; P=0.042). By targeting these risk factors with a quality improvement initiative, the mean CLABSI incidence rate per 1,000 catheter-days decreased from 6.6 to 3.1 (P=0.004). Conclusion: Targeting risk factors for infection control significantly reduced the rate of CLABSI among high-risk infants in the NICU.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.281-295
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate and verify the application of phase-control absolute-acceleration-feedback active tuned mass dampers (PCA-ATMD) to multiple-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) building structures. In addition, servo speed control technique has been developed as a replacement for force control in order to mitigate the negative effects caused by friction and inertia. The essence of the proposed PCA-ATMD is to achieve a 90° phase lag for a structure by implementing the desired control force so that the PCA-ATMD can receive the maximum power flow with which to effectively mitigate the structural vibration. An MDOF building structure with a PCA-ATMD and a real-time filter forming a complete system is modeled using a state-space representation and is presented in detail. The feedback measurement for the phase control algorithm of the MDOF structure is compact, with only the absolute acceleration of one structural floor and ATMD's velocity relative to the structure required. A discrete-time direct output-feedback optimization method is introduced to the PCA-ATMD to ensure that the control system is optimized and stable. Numerical simulation and shaking table experiments are conducted on a three-story steel shear building structure to verify the performance of the PCA-ATMD. The results indicate that the absolute acceleration of the structure is well suppressed whether considering peak or root-mean-square responses. The experiment also demonstrates that the control of the PCA-ATMD can be decentralized, so that it is convenient to apply and maintain to real high-rise building structures.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.491-501
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• 2002

A cross-examination between KT&G Central Research Institute and Guangzhou Institute for Drug Control was carried out in order to select optimum conditions for extraction, separation and determination of ginsenosides in red ginseng and to propose a better method for the quantitative analysis of ginsenosides. The optimum extraction conditions of ginsenosides from red ginseng were as follows: the extraction solvent, $70\%$ methanol; the extraction temperature, $100^{\circ}C;$ the extraction time, 1 hour for once; and the repetition of extraction, twice. The optimum separation conditions of ginsenosides on the SepPak $C_{18}$ cartridge were as follows: the loaded amount, 0.4 g of methanol extract; the washing solvents, distilled water of 25 ml at first and then $30\%$ methanol of 25 ml; the elution solvent, $90\%$ methanol of 5 ml. The optimum HPLC conditions for the determination of ginsenosides were as follows: column, Lichrosorb $NH_2(25{\times}0.4cm,$ 5${\mu}m$, Merck Co.); mobile phase, a mixture of acetonitrile/water/isopropanol (80/5/15) and acetonitrile/water/isopropanol (80/20/15) with gradient system; and the detector, ELSD. On the basis of the optimum conditions a method for the quantitative analysis of ginsenosides were proposed and another cross-examination was carried out for the validation of the selected analytical method conditions. The coefficient of variances (CVs) on the contents of ginsenoside-$Rg_{1}$, -Re and $-Rb_1$ were lower than $3\%$ and the recovery rates of ginsenosides were $89.4\~95.7\%,$ which suggests that the above extraction and separation conditions may be reproducible and reasonable. For the selected HPLC/ELSD conditions, the CVs on the detector responses of ginsenoside-Rg, -Re and $-Rb_1$) were also lower than $3\%$, the regression coefficients for the calibration curves of ginsenosides were higher than 0.99 and two adjacent ginsenoside peaks were well separated, which suggests that the above HPLC/ELSD conditions may be good enough for the determination of ginsenosides.

• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.682-688
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• 2006

This paper deals with the delay-dependent and rate-independent stabilization of systems with multiple unknown time-varying delays and time-varying structured uncertainties. All the linear matrix inequalities based conditions are derived by employing free-weighting matrices to express the relationships between the terms in the Leibniz-Newton formula. The criteria do not require any tuning parameters. Numerical examples demonstrate the validity of the method.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2002

Two systemic fungicides, SF1 (Bavistin, a carbandazim fungicide 50% WP, Rallis India ltd., India) and SF2 (Bayleton 25% WP-Triadiamefon, a Triazole compound, Rallis India Ltd., India) were screened for control of muscardine disease in silkworm, Bombyx mori. One and two percent of SF1 and 0.05 and 0.1 % of SF2 in aqueous solution were found to be effective in in vivo condition for the control of the disease. These fungicides, on feeding through mulberry leaves continuously for two days to 4$^{th}$ and 5$^{th}$ instar silkworm larvae inoculated topically with conidia of Beauveria bassiana (4$\times$10$^{6}$ conidia/ml) resulted in reduction in mortality due to muscardine by over 90% as against 100% mortality in inoculated control. SF1 at 1% reduced the mortality by 90% in 4$^{th}$ instar and 91% in final instar silkworm while at 2%, the reduction was 92% and 96%, respectively. SF2 at 0.05 and 0.1 % concentration reduced the mortality by 82 and 88% during 4$^{th}$ instar and by 88 and 92% during 5$^{th}$ instar, respectively.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.66-78
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• 2010

Acute (24 h) and chronic (90 days) oral toxicity studies on the ethanol extract of Trigonella foenumgraecum Leguminosae (L.) seeds were carried out. Acute dosages were 0.5, 1.0 and 3 g/kg while chronic dosage was 100 mg/kg per day of the extract. All morphological, biochemical, haematological and spermatogenic changes, in addition to mortality, body weight changes and any change in vital organs were recorded. Histopathological investigations were done on vital organs. Growth arrest in the treated animals was observed. The treated mice gained no significant weight during chronic treatment while there was a significant gain in body weight of the control group mice. Biochemical studies revealed a significant decrease in blood sugar levels of fenugreek treatment groups while haematological parameters remained comparable to the control. In the treatment, male group there was a significant decrease in weight of testes as compared to the control. There was a marginal weight gain in kidney weight of mice after chronic treatment as compared to the control. Fenugreek chronic treatment caused a highly significant spermatotoxic effects in male mice.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.284-288
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• 2004

We have recently reported that red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP), isolated from Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), showed immunomodulatory antitumor activities, mainly mediated by nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophage. In this study, we examined the effect of RGAP on anticancer activity using lung carcinoma 3LL, sarcoma 180 and adenocarcinoma JC tumor cells transplanted into mice as well as antimetastatic activity using B16-F10 melanoma. When RGAP (300 mg/kg) were treated to mice implanted with one of the three kinds of tumor cells, the tumor weight significantly decreased compared with control mice. Tumor inhibition ratios of RGAP (300 mg/kg) in mice transplanted with lung carcinoma 3LL, sarcoma 180 and adenocarcinoma JC cells were 26.8%, 29.3% and 31.6%, respectively. Hundred mg/kg of RGAP did not cause a significant decrease in tumor weight compared with control group. When RGAP was administered i.p. with the dose of 100 and 300 mg/kg in B16-F10 melanoma-bearing mice, lung metastasis were reduced significantly in mice. Corrected phagocytic index was also remarkably increased by RGAP. These results suggest that stimulation of phagocytic activity of macrophages may be a mechanism for in vivo anticancer and antimetastasis activities of RGAP.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.126-130
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• 2005

Ginseng saponins have been known as main active principles and are quantified as the index components of ginseng and its products for quality control. However ginseng saponins are easily hydrolyzed in acidic solutions of crude drug preparations. Due to the hydrolysis of saponins in acidic condition, it is generally difficult to determine ginseng saponins In crude drug preparations. Ginseng saponins, prosapogenins and sapogenins of crude drug extracts were quantified by HPLC. Ginseng saponins were quantified by HPLC on $Lichrosorb-NH_2$ column with acetonitrile/water/1-butanol(80:20:10, v/v). Ginseng $prosapogenin-Rg_2$ and $-Rg_2$ were extracted with ethyl acetate from $50\%$ acetic acid hydrolyzates of saponin fractions and quantified by HPLC on $Lichrosorb-NH_2$ column with acetonitrile/water(90:10, v/v). Ginseng sapogenins, panafadiol and panaxatriol, were extracted with diethyl ether from $7\%-sulfuric$ acid hydrolyzates of saponin fractions and quantified by HPLC on ${\mu}-Bondapak\;C_{18}$ column with acetonitrile/methano1/chloroform(83:10:7, v/v). These methods of analyses of sapogenins and prosapogenins were more useful for quality control than those of ginseng saponins in some of crude drug preparations.

• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2005

This paper considers a robust decentralized $H_\infty$ control problem for uncertain large-scale interconnected systems. The uncertainties are assumed to be time-invariant, norm-bounded, and exist in subsystems. A design method based on the bounded real lemma is developed for a dynamic output feedback controller, which is reduced to a feasibility problem for a nonlinear matrix inequality (NMI). It is proposed to solve the NMI iteratively by the idea of homotopy, where some of the variables are fixed alternately on each iteration to reduce the NMI to a linear matrix inequality (LMI). A decentralized controller for the nominal system is computed first by imposing structural constraints on the coefficient matrices gradually. Then, the decentralized controller is modified again gradually to cope with the uncertainties. A given example shows the efficiency of this method.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1994.11a
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• pp.159-161
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• 1994

A new control technique which generates high-quality sinusoidal output voltage from a single-phase resonant do link inverter suitable for the UPS systems is presented. The inverter output voltage control system has the PID controller with a minor loop of the filter inductor current and tile feedforward controller. The proposed control scheme also solves resonant voltage overshoot without any additional switch or passive component, resulting in pulses with uniform amplitude and high efficiency. Experimental results in the case of linear and nonlinear loads are presented to confirm the usefulness of the Proposed control algorithms.