• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.94-102
• /
• 2012

Recently entered into an aging socity as the number of elderly drivers is increasing. Traffic accidents of elderly drivers are caused by driver inattentions such as poor vehicle control due to aging, visual information retrieval problems caused by presbyopia, and objects identifying problems caused by low contrast sensitivity. In this paper, detection method of ROIs on the road is proposed. The proposed method creates the saliency map to detect the candidate ROIs from the input image. And, the input image is segmented to obtain the ROIs boundary. Finally, selective visual attention regions are detected according to the presence or absence of a segmented region with saliency pixels. Experimental results from a variety of outdoor environmental conditions, the proposed method presented a fast object detection and a high detection rate.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2011

The infection rate of syphilis is still increasing in the world especially in developing countries and the infection is often seen in large amounts of clinical specimens. For the diagnosis of this disease, Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR)/Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) has still been used as one of major primary methods to diagnose syphilis even though the test readings are somewhat subjective with high false positive rates. Recently, the automatic ARCHITECT Syphilis TP, which is based on the detection of the TP-specific antibodies, has been introduced in many laboratories. Therefore, the clinical assessment of the method is needed to provide primary diagnosis of syphilis at the moment. We evaluated 3 different manual rapid kits and ARCHITECT Syphilis TP comparing with RPR/FTA-ABS and analysed their diagnostic properties. From February 2006 to April 2008, 203 positive and 250 negative specimens, obtained from Chungbuk National University Hospital were used for the evaluation. In the evaluation between manual rapid kits, their specificities were as high as 99.2 ~ 99.6% while their sensitivities were observed with little differences; 98.0% (199/203) for Kit A, 96.6% (196/203) for Kit B, and 97.4% (197/203) for Kit S. In the case of ARCHITECT Syphilis TP test, it showed 100% specificity (250/250) and 98.5% sensitivity (249/250). Kappa values comparing with RPR/FTA-ABS were 0.978 for Kit A, 0.964 for Kit B and Kit S, and 0.987 for ARCHITECT Syphilis TP. From our evaluation, we found out that manual rapid tests and ARCHITECT Syphilis TP have very good clinical accuracies and high kappa agreements with RPR/FTA-ABS. Due to its automation and quick simultaneous diagnosis with another serological markers, we suggest that the ARCHITECT Syphilis TP is one of best suitable method for the primary diagnosis of syphilis and that it might be able to replace RPR method in the laboratories.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.183-194
• /
• 2019

Adulteration of argan oil with some other cheaper oils with similar chemical compositions has resulted in increasing demands for authenticity assurance and quality control. Fast and simple analytical techniques are thus needed for authenticity analysis of high-priced argan oil. Raman spectroscopy is a potent technique and has been extensively used for quality control and safety determination for food products In this study, Raman spectroscopy in combination with a net analyte signal (NAS)-based methodology, i.e., hybrid linear analysis method developed by Goicoechea and Olivieri in 1999 (HLA/GO), was used to predict the different concentrations of olive oil (0 - 20%) added to argan oil. Raman spectra of 90 samples were collected in a spectral range of $400-400cm^{-1}$, and calibration and validation sets were designed to evaluate the performance of the multivariate method. The results revealed a high coefficient of determination ($R^2$) value of 0.98 and a low root-mean-square error (RMSE) value of 0.41% for the calibration set, and an $R^2$ of 0.97 and RMSE of 0.36% for the validation set. Additionally, the figures of merit such as sensitivity, selectivity, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were used for further validation. The high $R^2$ and low RMSE values validate the detection ability and accuracy of the developed method and demonstrate its potential for quantitative determination of oil adulteration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.28 no.spc
• /
• pp.30-36
• /
• 2022

A sensor is needed to continuously and automatically measure the change in HNS concentration in industrial facilities that directly discharge to the sea after water treatment. The basic function of the sensor is to be able to detect ppb levels even at room temperature. Therefore, a method for increasing the sensitivity of the existing sensor is proposed. First, a method for increasing the conductivity of a film using a conductive carbon-based additive in a nanoparticle thin film and a method for increasing ion adsorption on the surface using a catalyst metal were studied.. To improve conductivity, carbon black was selected as an additive in the film using ITO nanoparticles, and the performance change of the sensor according to the content of the additive was observed. As a result, the change in resistance and response time due to the increase in conductivity at a CB content of 5 wt% could be observed, and notably, the lower limit of detection was lowered to about 250 ppb in an experiment with organic solvents. In addition, to increase the degree of ion adsorption in the liquid, an experiment was conducted using a sample in which a surface catalyst layer was formed by sputtering Au. Notably, the response of the sensor increased by more than 20% and the average lower limit of detection was lowered to 61 ppm. This result confirmed that the chemical resistance sensor using metal oxide nanoparticles could detect HNS of several tens of ppb even at room temperature.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.15
• /
• pp.6569-6573
• /
• 2015

Objective: To evaluate the application value of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125 and CA242 in diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer cases treated with concurrent chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: 52 patients with pancreatic cancer, 40 with benign pancreatic diseases and 40 healthy people were selected. The electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method was used for detecting levels of CA19-9, CEA and CA125, and a CanAg CA242 enzyme linked immunoassay kit for assessing the level of CA242. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for analyzing the prognostic factors of patients with pancreatic cancer. The Cox proportional hazard model was applied for analyzing the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidential interval (CI) for survival time of patients with pancreatic cancer. Results: The levels of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125 and CA242 in patients with pancreatic cancer were significantly higher than those in patients with benign pancreatic diseases and healthy people (P<0.001). The sensitivity of CA19-9 was the highest among these, followed by CA242, CA125 and CEA. The specificity of CA242 is the highest, followed by CA125, CEA and CA19-9. The sensitivity and specificity of joint detection of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125and CA242 were 90.4% and 93.8%, obviously higher than single detection of those markers in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The median survival time of 52 patients with pancreatic cancer was 10 months (95% CI7.389~12.611).. Patients with the increasing level of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125, CA242 had shorter survival times (P=0.047. 0.043, 0.0041, 0.029). COX regression analysis showed that CA19-9 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer (P=0.001, 95%CI 2.591~38.243). Conclusions: The detection of serum tumor markers (CA19.9, CEA, CA125 and CA242) is conducive to the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and joint detection of tumor markers helps improve the diagnostic efficiency. Moreover, CA19-9 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.393-398
• /
• 2008

Trace analysis of Cd and Pb at surface modified thick film graphite electrode with Bi nanopowder has been carried out using square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) technique. Bi nanopowder synthesized by gas condensation (GC) method showed the size of $50{\sim}100$ nm with BET surface area, $A_{BET}=6.8m^{2}g^{-l}$. For a strong adhesion of the Bi nanopowder onto the screen printed carbon paste electrode, nafion solution was added into Bi-containing suspension. From the SWASV, it was found that the Bi nanopowder electrode exhibited a well-defined responses relating to the oxidations of Cd and Pb. The current peak intensity increased with increasing concentration of Cd and Pb. From the linear relationship between Cd/Pb concentrations and peak current, the sensitivity of the Bi nanopowder electrode was quantitatively estimated. The detection limit of the electrode was estimated to be $0.15{\mu}g/l$ and $0.07{\mu}g/l$ for Cd and Pb, respectively, on the basis of the signal-to-noise characteristics (S/N=3) of the response for the $1.0{\mu}g/l$ solution under a 10 min accumulation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.604-608
• /
• 2012

Traditionally, the track circuits have been used for the purpose of train locating. However, the recent train control systems like a CBTC(Communications Based Train Control) do not utilize the track circuits to minimize the amount of ground signal devices. Therefore, there are increasing concerns over the system that can locate the position of train exactly without using the track circuits. Then, the contactless locating methods are added to ensure safety when the shunting sensitivity of the track circuit becomes low for the existing sections equipped with the track circuits. In this paper, a prototype of train locating device has been designed and tested, which utilizes the current phase difference upon magnetic field variation. The results show improved features of this method over the conventional track circuits method.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.30-39
• /
• 2017

In this study, the predictive toxicity of barley Hordeum vulgare was estimated using a modified terrestrial biotic ligand model (TBLM) to account for the toxic effects of $CuOH^+$ and $CuCO_3(aq)$ generated at pH 7 or higher, and this was compared to that from the original TBLM. At pH values higher than 7, the difference in $EA_{50}\{Cu^{2+}\}$ (half maximal effective activity of $Cu^{2+}$) between the two models increased with increasing pH. As Mg concentration increased from 8.24 to 148 mg/L in the pH range of 5.5 to 8.5, the difference in $EA_{50}\{Cu^{2+}\}$ increased, and it reached its maximum at pH 8. The difference in $EC_{50}[Cu]_T$ (half maximal effective concentration of Cu) between the two models increased as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration increased when pH was above 7. Thus, for soils with alkaline pH, the toxic effect of $CuOH^+$ and $CuCO_3(aq)$ are greater at higher salt and DOC concentrations. The acceptable Cu concentration in soil porewater can be estimated by the modified TBLM through deterministic method at pH levels higher than 7, while combination of TBLM and species sensitivity distribution through the probabilistic method could be utilized at pH levels lower than 7.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.153-160
• /
• 2016

This study proposes an algorithm for removal of CPR artifact in order that automated external defibrillator (AED) can effectively diagnose ECG rhythm during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Current AED required to interrupt chest compression for reliable rhythm analysis to avoid the effect of artifacts produced by CPR. However even temporarily interruption of chest compression during CPR adversely affects the probability of restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival after the delivery of the shock. Therefore, we proposed a method for removal of CPR artifacts using least mean square (LMS) filter. The removal of the CPR artifacts would enable compressions to continue during AED rhythm analysis, thereby increasing the likelihood of resuscitation success. It was tested on 31 segments of shockable and 300 segments of non-shockable ECG signals recorded from three pigs during CPR. In the result, sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) analysis on the test segments showed values of Se = 3.2%, Sp = 66.0% and Se = 96.8%, Sp = 98.7% in the case of unfiltered and filtered signals during CPR. In conclusion, it was shown that the proposed method can be a useful tool to exactly diagnose the ECG rhythm during the CPR.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.556-561
• /
• 2008

The characteristics of microwave reflectometry, which is based on the technologies of FM radar and is applied as a non-invasive method to examine the properties including density distribution of inhomogeneous media, is investigated. The microwave reflectometry system requires not only an optimized system hardware but as well as the understanding of system response from the media under test in order to provide the system solution describing the object under test quantitatively. The introduction of microwave reflectometry especially in the area of applied plasma physics has been relatively new and the number of usage is found to be increasing gradually. The experimental method to characterize the microwave system as a device to examine the properties of plasma is explained. The microwave reflectometry signals consist of the cutoff signals which originate from the region where most of the reflected power comes from and the scattered signals which result as an interaction of the microwave and the density perturbations. This paper describes the experimental results of the scattered signal from the microwave reflectometry, such as the wavenumber dependence and the sensitivity on density perturbation, and the comparison of the characteristics with those from the numerical simulations and those from the cutoff signals.