• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1117-1128
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• 2016

In genetic association studies with high-dimensional genomic data, regularization procedures based on penalized likelihood are often applied to identify genes or genetic regions associated with diseases or traits. A network-based regularization procedure can utilize biological network information (such as genetic pathways and signaling pathways in genetic association studies) with an outstanding selection performance over other regularization procedures such as lasso and elastic-net. However, network-based regularization has a limitation because cannot be applied to high-dimension genomic data with a group structure. In this article, we propose to combine data dimension reduction techniques such as principal component analysis and a partial least square into network-based regularization for the analysis of high-dimensional genomic data with a group structure. The selection performance of the proposed method was evaluated by extensive simulation studies. The proposed method was also applied to real DNA methylation data generated from Illumina Innium HumanMethylation27K BeadChip, where methylation beta values of around 20,000 CpG sites over 12,770 genes were compared between 123 ovarian cancer patients and 152 healthy controls. This analysis was also able to indicate a few cancer-related genes.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.543-559
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• 2019

Data often include missing values due to various reasons. If the missing data mechanism is not MCAR, analysis based on fully observed cases may an estimation cause bias and decrease the precision of the estimate since partially observed cases are excluded. Especially when data include many variables, missing values cause more serious problems. Many imputation techniques are suggested to overcome this difficulty. However, imputation methods using parametric models may not fit well with real data which do not satisfy model assumptions. In this study, we review imputation methods using nonlinear models such as kernel, resampling, and spline methods which are robust on model assumptions. In addition, we suggest utilizing imputation classes to improve imputation accuracy or adding random errors to correctly estimate the variance of the estimates in nonlinear imputation models. Performances of imputation methods using nonlinear models are compared under various simulated data settings. Simulation results indicate that the performances of imputation methods are different as data settings change. However, imputation based on the kernel regression or the penalized spline performs better in most situations. Utilizing imputation classes or adding random errors improves the performance of imputation methods using nonlinear models.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.161-169
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• 2018

Purpose: We assessed the influence of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) on the inhospital outcomes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) infants. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with singletons born at $23^{+0}$ to $33^{+6}weeks$ of gestation at Seoul National University Hospital from 2007 to 2014. We compared clinical outcomes between infants who received ACS 2 to 7 days before birth (complete ACS), at <2 or >7 days (incomplete ACS), and those who did not receive ACS in IUGR and AGA infants. Multivariate logistic regression using Firth's penalized likelihood was performed. Results: 304 neonates with 91 IUGR neonates were eligible. Among AGA neonates, mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.78), hypotension within 7 postnatal days (aOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.64), and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death (aOR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.77) were lower in complete ACS group after adjusting for pregnancy induced hypertension and uncontrolled preterm labor. Mortality (aOR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.78), hypotension (aOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.70), and severe BPD or death (aOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.92) were also lower in the incomplete ACS group. Among IUGR infants, after adjusting for birth weight and 5-minute Apgar score, inhaled nitric oxide use within 14 postnatal days was lower in both complete ACS (aOR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.67) and incomplete ACS (aOR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.37) groups. Conclusion: ACS was not effective in reducing morbidities in IUGR preterm infants.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.149-176
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• 2022

South Korean law strictly prohibits engagement in medical activities by non-medical practitioners. In the country, tattooing is classified as a medical practice, and non-medical practitioners who engage in it are penalized because they are unauthorized to carry out this procedure. In reality, however, people rarely seek tattooing services from medical personnel. Arguing that their freedom of job selection is violated, non-medical personnel who make a living as tattoo artists reject the characterization of the procedure as a form of medical treatment and demand the decriminalization of tattooing by non-medical practitioners. Nevertheless, tattooing can cause health- and hygiene-related dangers when it is not performed by medical professionals because it involves penetration into the skin using needles. Hence, stringent management is necessary for infection prevention. The gap between reality and the law gives rise to the need for proactive thinking about the institutionalization of tattoo practice by non-medical personnel. Policymakers should reflect on the fact that only minimal tattooing services are currently performed by medical staff while also accounting for health and safety. On this basis, this study examined tattoo-related legislation in South Korea to determine whether the procedure corresponds to medical practice and identify ways to solve problems that occur from the perspective of health care. As a response that promotes safety and reflects reality, this research proposed a three-phase approach.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.536-542
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• 2023

Objective : Surgical site infection is the most detrimental complication following cranioplasty. In other surgical fields, intrawound vancomycin powder application has been introduced to prevent surgical site infection and is widely used based on results in multiple studies. This study evaluated the effect of intrawound vancomycin powder in cranioplasty compared with the conventional method without topical antibiotics. Methods : This retrospective study included 580 patients with skull defects who underwent cranioplasty between August 1, 1998 and December 31, 2021. The conventional method was used in 475 (81.9%; conventional group) and vancomycin powder (1 g) was applied on the dura mater and bone flap in 105 patients (18.1%; vancomycin powder group). Surgical site infection was defined as infection of the incision, organ, or space that occurred after cranioplasty. Surgical site infection within 1-year surveillance period was compared between the conventional and vancomycin powder groups with logistic regression analysis. Penalized likelihood estimation method was used in logistic regression to deal with zero events. All local and systemic adverse events associated with topical vancomycin application were also evaluated. Results : Surgical site infection occurred in 31 patients (5.3%) and all were observed in the conventional group. The median time between cranioplasty and detection of surgical site infection was 13 days (range, 4-333). Staphylococci were the most common organisms and identified in 25 (80.6%) of 31 cases with surgical site infections. The surgical site infection rate in the vancomycin powder group (0/105, 0.0%) was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (31/475, 6.5%; crude odds ratio [OR], 0.067; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.006-0.762; adjusted OR, 0.068; 95% CI, 0.006-0.731; p=0.026). No adverse events associated with intrawound vancomycin powder were observed during the follow-up. Conclusion : Intrawound vancomycin powder effectively prevented surgical site infections following cranioplasty without local or systemic adverse events. Our results suggest that intrawound vancomycin powder is an effective and safe strategy for patients undergoing cranioplasty.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.315-328
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• 2017

Even though assessment using information and communication technology will most likely lead the future of educational assessment, there is little domestic research on this topic. Computerized assessment will not only cut costs but also measure students' performance in ways not possible before. In this context, this study introduces a tool which can overcome the problems of multiple choice tests, which are most widely used type of assessment in current Korean educational setting. Multiple-choice tests, in which options are presented with the questions, are efficient in that grading can be automated; however, they allow for students who don't know the answer, to find the correct answer from the options. Park(2005) has developed a modified multiple-choice testing system (CMMT) using the interactivity of computers, that presents questions first, and options later for a short time when the student requests for them. The present study was conducted to find out if penalizing wrong answers could lower the possibility of students choosing an answer among the options when they don't know the correct answer. 116 students were tested with the directions that they will be penalized for wrong answers, but not for no response. There were 4 experimental conditions: 2 conditions of high or low percentage of penalizing, each in traditional multiple-choice or CMMT format. The results were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA for the number of no response, the test score and self-report score. Analysis showed that the number of no response was significantly higher for the CMMT format and that test scores were significantly lower when the penalizing percentage was high. The possibility of applying CMMT format tests while penalizing wrong answers in actual testing settings was addressed. In addition, the need for further research in the cognitive sciences to develop computerized assessment tools, was discussed.