• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.399-407
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• 2009

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) is an simple analysis method for directly quantifying many kinds of soil micro-elements on site using a small size of laser without pre-treatment at any property of materials(solid, liquid and gas). The purpose of this study were to find an optimum condition of the LIBS measurement including wavelengths for quantifying soil elements, to relate spectral properties to the concentration of soil elements using LIBS as a simultaneous un-breakdown quantitative analysis technology, which can be applied for the safety assessment of agricultural products and precision agriculture, and to compare the results with a standardized chemical analysis method. Soil samples classified as fine-silty, mixed, thermic Typic Hapludalf(Memphis series) from grassland and uplands in Tennessee, USA were collected, crushed, and prepared for further analysis or LIBS measurement. The samples were measured using LIBS ranged from 200 to 600 nm(0.03 nm interval) with a Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm, with a beam energy of 25 mJ per pulse, a pulse width of 5 ns, and a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The optimum wavelength(${\lambda}nm$) of LIBS for estimating soil and plant elements were 308.2 nm for Al, 428.3 nm for Ca, 247.8 nm for T-C, 438.3 nm for Fe, 766.5 nm for K, 85.2 nm for Mg, 330.2 nm for Na, 213.6 nm for P, 180.7 nm for S, 288.2 nm for Si, and 351.9 nm for Ti, respectively. Coefficients of determination($r^2$) of calibration curve using standard reference soil samples for each element from LIBS measurement were ranged from 0.863 to 0.977. In comparison with ICP-AES(Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy) measurement, measurement error in terms of relative standard error were calculated. Silicon dioxide(SiO2) concentration estimated from two methods showed good agreement with -3.5% of relative standard error. The relative standard errors for the other elements were high. It implies that the prediction accuracy is low which might be caused by matrix effect such as particle size and constituent of soils. It is necessary to enhance the measurement and prediction accuracy of LIBS by improving pretreatment process, standard reference soil samples, and measurement method for a reliable quantification method.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2019

Purpose: Fungal periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare but devastating complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). On the other hand, a standardized procedure regarding an accurate treatment of this serious complication of knee arthroplasty is lacking. The clinical progress of staged reimplantation in patients who had fungus-related PJI after TKA was reviewed retrospectively. Materials and Methods: Ten patients who had a fungal related PJI after TKA between 2006 and 2017 using staged reimplantation surgery were reviewed. These patients were compared with 119 patients who had a PJI in the same period. The failure rate of infection control, intravenous antimicrobial using the period, and the clinical results were evaluated by comparing the range of motion and Korean knee score (KKS) between pre-staged reimplantation and the last follow-up. Results: In the fungal infection group, 7 out of 10 cases (70.0%) had failed in infection control using staged reimplantation and in the non-fungal group, 7 out of 119 cases (5.9%) had failed (p=0.04). In the non-fungal group, the mean duration of antibiotics was 6.2 weeks. In the fungus group, the mean duration of antibiotics was 15.3 weeks, which was 9.1 weeks longer (p<0.001). The range of motion of the knee was increased in the two groups (p=0.265). At the last follow-up, the KKS was 71.01 points in the non-fungal group and 61.3 points in the fungal group (p=0.012). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased in the two groups, but the CRP was significantly different in the two groups (p=0.007). Conclusion: The treatment of fungus-related PJIs using staged reimplantation showed uneven clinical progress and unsatisfactory clinical improvements compared to non-fungal PJI. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the use of an antifungal mixed cement spacer at resection arthroplasty and oral antifungal agent after reimplantation.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2007

Purpose: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has recently been clinically applied in the treatment of drug resistant depressed patients. There are mixed findings about the efficacy of rTMS on depression. Furthermore, the influence of rTMS on the physiology of the brain is not clear. We prospectively evaluated changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) between pre- and post-rTMS treatment in patients with drug resistant depression. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with drug-resistant depression (7 male, 5 female; age range: $19{\sim}52$ years; mean age: $29.3{\pm}9.3$ years) were given rTMS on right prefrontal lobe with low frequency (1 Hz) and on left prefrontal lobe with high frequency (20 Hz), with 20-minute-duration each day for 3 weeks. Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT was obtained before and after rTMS treatment. The changes of cerebral perfusion were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM; t=3.14, uncorrected p<0.01, voxel=100). Results: Following areas showed significant increase in rCBF after 3 weeks rTMS treatment: the cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus of right temporal lobe, precuneus, and left lateral globus pallidus. Significant decrement was noted in: the precental and middle frontal gyrus of right frontal lobe, and fusiform gyrus of left occipital lobe. Conclusion: Low-frequency rTMS on the right prefrontal cortex and high-frequency rTMS on the left prefrontal cortex for 3 weeks as an add-on regimen have increased and decreased rCBF in the specific brain regions in drug-resistant depressed patients. Further analyses correlating clinical characteristics and treatment paradigm with functional imaging data may be helpful in clarifying the pathophysiology of drug-resistant depressed patients.