• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.43-56
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• 2018

Vertical cutoff walls such as steel pipe sheet piles (SPSPs) have been commonly applied for the construction of the offshore waste landfill site. Because the SPSPs are sequentially installed by connecting their joints to those of adjacent piles, their mechanical stability should be ensured against the inherent external forces on the sea. The objective of this study is to evaluate the structural performances of the newly developed types of SPSP joint compared with those of other joint types. The problems of the traditional SPSP joints are investigated, and an advanced joint shape of SPSP, which is named double H with L-T (DHLT) joint, are designed for improving the constructability and maintenance. Full-scale models of the DHLT joint are manufactured, and then its joint areas are filled with grout material. After 28 days of curing time, compressive and tensile strength tests were performed on the joint models and the test results were compared with those of the traditional joints. Experimental results show that the structural capacities of the DHLT joint models are lower than those of traditional joints due to the influence of grout and steel members. In the cases of the compressive strength test, especially, bending occurs on steel H-beam with no distinct cracks in grout due to the asymmetrical structure of joint which has no reaction force. This study shows that the performance of the SPSP joint can be improved by considering the influence factors on the structural capacities estimated by the experimental tests.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2018

Purpose: This study examined the Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) from acute poisoning patients, to determine the relationships among the PSS, PSSsum, the primary outcome (prolonged stay at the ER over 24 hours, general ward and ICU admission and the application of intubation and mechanical ventilator, and the administration of inotropes). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted through the EMR for 15 months. The PSS grade was classified according to the evidence of symptoms and signs. The differences in the primary outcomes between the PSS of when a single organ was damaged, and the PSS, PSSsum combined with the grade of when multiple organs were damaged, were studied. The cutoff value was calculated using the receiving operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Results: Of the 284 patients; 85 (29.9%) were men with a mean age of 48.8 years, and their average arrival time to the ER was $4.4{\pm}6.7\;hours$. The most frequently used drug was hypnotics. The number of patients with PSS grade 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 was 17, 129, 122, 24, and one, respectively. No ICU admissions, application of intubation and mechanical ventilators, administration of inotropes were observed among the patients with PSS grades 0 and 1 but only on patients with PSS grades 2 to 4. At PSS, when separating the patients according to the number of damaged organs, 17 had no symptoms, 133 had one organ damaged, 75 had two organs damaged, 36 had three organs damaged, and 23 had four organs damaged. Significant differences were observed between increasing number of damaged organs and the primary outcome. Conclusion: Among the acute poisoning patients, the PSS was higher in severity when the grade was higher. The number of damaged organs and the primary outcome showed meaningful statistical differences. This study confirmed that when the patients' PSS>2 and PSSsum>5, the frequency of ICU admission was higher, and they were considered to be severe with an increased prescription risk of application of intubation and mechanical ventilator, and the administration of inotropes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.88-95
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• 2005

Even though the echocardiograph has been recognized as the method of choice among various diagnostic tools to detect congestive heart failure (CHF), there were some limitations in relation to the consumption of time, labor and process. We analyzed results of N-terminal probrain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and various parameters of the echocardiographic findings to clarify the diagnostic usefulness of NT-proBNP in detecting patients with CHF. We analyzed the sera from total of 242 cases from in-patients and out-patients, which were requested from the cardiovascular section of department of Internal Medicine at Chungnam National University Hospital from March 2003 to May 2004. The procedures were performed in order as shown below; sampling, NT-proBNP analysis, data acquisition and data analysis. All data including personal information and echocardiographic findings ware acquired by medical record review. When classifying the study population into six groups according to the degree of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the serum level of NT-proBNP was higher in the group with 51-60% of LVEF (P=0.023). There were low correlation between the serum level of NT-proBNP and various parameters of the echocardiographic findings with LVESD (r=0.1513), LVEDD (r=0.0831), LVEF (r=0.2035), IVST (r=0.03) and LVPWT (r=0.0728), respectively. When comparing NT-proBNP with atrial and/or ventricular enlargement, the patient group with both left atrial and left ventricular enlargement (p=0.186) or only left atrial (p=0.105) or only left ventricular enlargement (p=0.256) showed higher level of NT-proBNP without statistical significance than patient group with no enlargement. Searching the optimal cutoff of the serum level of NT-proBNP, the sensitivity (98.9%) and the specificity (100%) was highest at the cutoff of 300 pg/mL than any other cutoffs. These findings suggested that the analysis of NT-proBNP in serum might detect the patients with CHF earlier than with the echocardiograph, especially in patients with asymptomatic or mild symptomatic CHF. In conclusion, NT-proBNP test was proved to be clinically useful to diagnose CHF patients.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.1522-1545
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• 2012

Call admission control (CAC) plays an important role in mobile cellular network to guarantee the quality of service (QoS). In this paper, a dynamic hybrid CAC scheme with integrated cutoff priority and handoff queue for mobile cellular network is proposed and some performance metrics are derived. The unique characteristic of the proposed CAC scheme is that it can support any number of service types and that the cutoff thresholds for handoff calls are dynamically adjusted according to the number of service types and service priority index. Moreover, timeouts of handoff calls in queues are also considered in our scheme. By modeling the proposed CAC scheme with a one-dimensional Markov chain (1DMC), some performance metrics are derived, which include new call blocking probability ($P_{nb}$), forced termination probability (PF), average queue length, average waiting time in queue, offered traffic utilization, wireless channel utilization and system performance which is defined as the ratio of channel utilization to Grade of Service (GoS) cost function. In order to validate the correctness of the derived analytical performance metrics, simulation is performed. It is shown that simulation results match closely with the derived analytic results in terms of $P_{nb}$ and PF. And then, to show the advantage of 1DMC modeling for the performance analysis of our proposed CAC scheme, the computing complexity of multi-dimensional Markov chain (MDMC) modeling in performance analysis is analyzed in detail. It is indicated that state-space cardinality, which reflects the computing complexity of MDMC, increases exponentially with the number of service types and total channels in a cell. However, the state-space cardinality of our 1DMC model for performance analysis is unrelated to the number of service types and is determined by total number of channels and queue capacity of the highest priority service in a cell. At last, the performance comparison between our CAC scheme and Mahmoud ASH's scheme is carried out. The results show that our CAC scheme performs well to some extend.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.615-628
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• 2013

The waterfall can be formed by difference between the height of up and down part in new channel, is formed by channel avulsion that rapidly changing of river channel course. This study described types and processes of waterfalls by channel avulsion, and analyzed rates and factors of waterfall recession, on object to 7 waterfalls in South Korea. Bulyeong falls at Uljin-gun, Yongchu falls at Yeongdeok-gun, Jikyeon falls at Yanggu-gun and Gwangpum falls at Uljin-gun are formed by natural incised meander cutoff. Samhyeongje falls at Taebaek-si and Guryong falls are formed by river capture processes, and Palbong falls at Chungju-si is formed by artificial channel cutting for farm land secured. The locations of waterfalls gradually moved to upstream over time by head erosion. The recession rates were measured by 3~4m/ka on Bulyeong falls, Yongchu falls, Jikyeon falls and Samhyeongje falls, to estimate of formation age. Recession rates of these 4 waterfalls were analyzed that have clearly positive correlations with drainage area, precipitation, corrosion and weathering capability of bedrock, and initial height of waterfall.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.89-101
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• 2015

This study examined the effects of self-differentiation and psychological discomfort on antenatal attachment of pregnant couples in their third trimester of pregnancy. The subjects were 182 couples in J province who had participated in the first wave of the Korea Attachment Longitudinal Study (KALS). Data were analyzed by means of frequency, percentages, Pearson's correlations, and stepwise multiple regression models using SPSS 20.0. The findings were as follows. First, the independent t-test showed that the mean scores of pregnant women's self-differentiation were lower than their spouses in all subscales except emotional cutoff, and higher than in all psychological discomfort subscales. There was no significant difference in antenatal attachment quality between women and men, but the pregnant women significantly spent more time thinking about the fetus than their spouses. Second, the stepwise multiple regression models revealed that pregnant women's emotional cutoff in self-differentiation influenced the most on both quality and quantity of antenatal attachment. Among subscales of their spouses' self-differentiation, only emotional reactivity had an impact on quality of antenatal attachment, and fusion with others had the most impact on quantity of antenatal attachment. Among the pregnant women's and their spouses' psychological discomfort subscales, only depression influenced each quality and quantity of antenatal attachment. This is the very first and only study in which the impact of the pregnant couples' self-differentiation on antenatal attachment has been examined.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.297-304
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• 2007

Objectives : We investigated the validity of the dipstick method (Mossman Associates Inc. USA) and the expired CO method to distinguish between smokers and non-smokers. We also elucidated the related factors of the two methods. Methods : This study included 244 smokers and 50 ex-smokers, recruited from smoking cessation clinics at 4 local public health centers, who had quit for over 4 weeks. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity and Kappa coefficient of each method for validity. We obtained ROC curve, predictive value and agreement to determine the cutoff of expired air CO method. Finally, we elucidated the related factors and compared their effect powers using the standardized regression coefficient. Results : The dipstick method showed a sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 96.0% and Kappa coefficient of 0.79. The best cutoff value to distinguish smokers was 5-6ppm. At 5 ppm, the expired CO method showed a sensitivity of 94.3%, specificity of 82.0% and Kappa coefficient of 0.73. And at 6 ppm, sensitivity, specificity and Kappa coefficient were 88.5%, 86.0% and 0.64, respectively. Therefore, the dipstick method had higher sensitivity and specificity than the expired CO method. The dipstick and expired CO methods were significantly increased with increasing smoking amount. With longer time since the last smoking, expired CO showed a rapid decrease after 4 hours, whereas the dipstick method showed relatively stable levels for more than 4 hours. Conclusions : The dipstick and expired CO methods were both good indicators for assessing smoking status. However, the former showed higher sensitivity and specificity and stable levels over longer hours after smoking, compared to the expired CO method.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.9
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• pp.353-359
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• 2019

Background: Researchers have shown that eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) is a relatively accurate marker of eosinophilia and eosinophil activity. However, its use as a marker of eosinophilic inflammation in nasal secretions is limited because the diagnostic cutoff values of EPO for use as a one-time test for allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis have not been established. Purpose: To identify the correlation between nasal eosinophil count and EPO in children and adolescents with rhinitis. Methods: We recruited patients <18 years of age with rhinitis for more than 2 weeks or more than 2 episodes a year whose nasal eosinophil and EPO were measured at a single allergy clinic. The eosinophil percentage was calculated by dividing the eosinophil count by the number of total cells under light microscopy at ${\times}1,000$ magnification. EPO and protein were measured from nasal secretions. We retrospectively analyzed the correlation between nasal eosinophils and protein-corrected EPO (EPO/protein) value. Results: Of the 67 patients enrolled, 41 were male (61.2%); the mean age was $8.2{\pm}4.0years$. The median nasal eosinophil count was 1 and percentage was 1%. The median protein-corrected EPO value was $12.5ng/{\mu}g$ (range, $0-31ng/{\mu}g$). There was a statistically significant correlation between eosinophil count and percentage (P<0.001). However, the eosinophil percentage and EPO did not correlate. The eosinophil count and EPO had a statistically significant correlation (P=0.01). The EPO cutoff value examined for nasal eosinophil counts of 2, 5, 10, and 20 was $17.57ng/{\mu}g$ regardless of the reference count. The largest area under the curve value was obtained when the receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn using the eosinophil count of 2. Conclusion: Nasal eosinophil count was significantly associated with protein-corrected EPO.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2021

Background: We aimed to analyze the effectiveness of albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) in predicting postoperative febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Methods: From January 2013 to May 2018, 332 patients underwent URS and RIRS. The rate of postoperative fUTI and risk factors for postoperative fUTI were analyzed using logistic regression. Patients were divided into postoperative fUTI and non-postoperative fUTI (non-fUTI) groups. AGR with other demographic and perioperative data were compared between the two groups to predict the development of fUTI after URS. Results: Of the 332 patients, postoperative fUTI occurred in 41 (12.3%). Preoperative pyuria, microscopic hematuria, diabetes mellitus, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperglobulinemia were more prevalent in the fUTI group. Patients in the fUTI group had larger stone size, lower preoperative AGR, longer operation time, and longer preoperative antibiotic coverage period. In a multivariable logistic analysis, preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size were independently correlated with postoperative fUTI (p<0.001, p=0.008, and p=0.041, respectively). Receiver operating curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of AGR that could predict a high risk of fUTI after URS was 1.437 (sensitivity, 77.3%; specificity, 76.9%), while the cutoff value of stone size was 8.5 mm (sensitivity, 55.3%; specificity, 44.7%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size can serve as prognostic factors for predicting fUTI after URS.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.323-331
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• 2021

Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic criteria of T1-weighted imaging (T1W) and time-of-flight (TOF) imaging for detecting intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) of a vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) compared with simultaneous non-contrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage (SNAP) imaging. Materials and Methods: Eighty-seven patients with VBA atherosclerosis who underwent high resolution MR imaging for evaluation of VBA plaque were reviewed. The presence and location of VBA plaque and IPH on SNAP were determined. The signal intensity (SI) of the VBA plaque on T1W and TOF imaging was manually measured and the SI ratio against adjacent muscles was calculated. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the diagnostic accuracy for detecting VBA IPH. Results: Of 87 patients, 67 had IPH and 20 had no IPH on SNAP. The SI ratio between VBA IPH and temporalis muscle on T1W was significantly higher than that in the no-IPH group (235.9 ± 16.8 vs. 120.0 ± 5.1, P < 0.001). The SI ratio between IPH and temporalis muscle on TOF was also significantly higher than that in the no-IPH group (236.8 ± 13.3 vs. 112.8 ± 7.4, P < 0.001). Diagnostic efficacies of SI ratios on TOF and TIW were excellent (AUC: 0.976 on TOF and 0.964 on T1W; cutoff value: 136.7% for TOF imaging and 135.1% for T1W imaging). Conclusion: Compared with SNAP, cutoff levels of the SI ratio between VBA plaque and temporalis muscle on T1W and TOF imaging for detecting IPH were approximately 1.35 times.