• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2000

Purpose: Although ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein is one of the most commonly used tumor markers in Korea, most of the radioimmunoassay kits for ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein have been imported from foreign countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a recently developed domestic immunoradiometric kit for ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein (Riakey AFP IRMA $CT^R$, Sin-Jin Medics, Seoul, Korea). Materials and Methods: We evaluated intra- and inter-assay precision, recovery rate, parallelism, and sensitivity of serum ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein measurement using Riakey AFP IRMA $CT^R$ kit. The values of ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein measured by Riakey AFP IRMA $CT^R$ kit were compared with those measured by two foreign commercial kits (${\alpha}$-fetoproteina of Radim and ${\alpha}$-feto.riabead of Abbott). Results: Intra-assay coefficients of variation on three different levels were 5.3% for 18.9 ng/ml, 3.4% for 133 ng/ml and 1.6% for 330 ng/ml. Inter-assay coefficients of variation were 9.7% for 20.9 ng/ml, 3.2% for 137 ng/ml and 4.1% for 330 ng/ml respectively. Recovery rate tests on all three different levels showed within $100{\pm}10%$. Parallelism was also good and the sensitivity was 0.63 ng/ml. There was strong correlation between the measurement of ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein by Riakey AFP IRMA $CT^R$ and that by two foreign commercial kits(r=0.98). Conclusion: The first Korean domestic immunoradiometric kit for ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein, Riakey AFP IRMA $CT^R$, performed well for clinical use.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.178-186
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• 2009

The quality control is needed to ensure the accuracy of medical information and achieved by evaluating the performance of and maintaining the system and practicing various measurements and evaluations. The Korean Institute for Accreditation of Medical Image, therefore, have held educational program for quality control of special medical equipments. The major of programs participants, however, are radiology specialists with only small number of radiological technologists from some hospitals, furthermore, the follow-up education and the share of information between participants and non-participants are insufficient in general, thus, the knowledge level of radiological technologists, regardless of their participation, is relatively low. This study carried out the questionnaire research for the 500 radiological technologists registered in Korean Society of MRI Technology, on the basis of 2008, and performed analysis for five months from May to Oct., 2008. The questionnaires were delivered by post to each radiological technologists and the response rate was 36%(n=180). The results of this revealed that the 86.7% of respondents felt the necessity of inspection on quality management, while only the 27.8% completed the educational program for manager of special medical equipment. and only the half(53.9%) had the knowledge about inspection on quality management. The completion of educational program had no correlations with sex, age, size of occupying hospital, the number of radiological technologists in occupying site and MRI laboratory, career year of general radiologist and in MRI laboratory, and the presence of biomedical engineering department in occupying hospital. The 78.0% of participants at the educational program for quality management held by the Korean Institute for Accreditation of Medical Image had the knowledge about inspection on quality management(p<.05) whereas the 43.9% of the hospitals held such program and the 54.4% of radiological technologists from those hospitals had related knowledge, which indicated that such programs held by hospitals had not effects on the knowledge level of radiological technologists. This indicates also that the contents, methods, and other conditional factors of educational programs are important for the outcome of them.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2014

Recently, the number of road construction is increasing by industrial development. According to this industrial tendency, the number of traffic accidents are consistently increasing due to increasing number of vehicle on the road. This is mainly because traffic accidents are occurred by various parameter such as negligence of driver, vehicle defects, state of unstable road, natural environment etc. Lane department of vehicles from guardrail is occurring frequently. This type of accident is caused by vehicle performance improvement and shape of vehicle, weak guardrail installation and maintenance. Guardrail has the purpose on prevention such as prevention of traffic accident and prevention of deviating out of road, minimizing damage of driver and vehicle by collision as well as entry into the road through guardrail. Stability evaluation test of guardrail verifies the behavior of guardrail through the crash of truck. At this time, the crash condition has 100 km/h of velocity and $15^{\circ}$ of impact angle. In the case of ground condition, filling slope condition has relatively high bearing capacity of infinite ground towards the test. Guardrail is generally installed on road of shoulder in fill slope in korea. It is possible for stability problem to deteriorate ground bearing capacity in Guardrail in fill slope. The existed study towards stability of guardrail has been carried out in the infinite ground. However, the study on the behavior of fill slope with guardrail is not performed by vehicle collision. Therefore, In this study, the numerical analysis using LS-DYNA was executed for verification on behavior of fill slope with guardrail through vehicle collision. This numerical analysis was carried out with change of embedded depth on installed guardrail post in shoulder of fill slope by vehicle collision and 8 tonf truck crash providing at NCAN (National Crash Analysis Center). As the result, displacement and stress on fill slope are decreased in accordance with the increase of embedded depth of guardrail post. Ground bearing capacity is deteriorated at depth of 450 mm form shoulder of road on fill slope.

• The Korean Journal of Blood Transfusion
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2012

Background: Despite modern advances in laboratory automated medicine, work-process in the blood bank is still handled manually. Several automated immunohematological instruments have been developed and are available in the market. The IH-1000 (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA), a fully automated instrument for immunohematology, was recently introduced. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the IH-1000 for ABO/Rh typing and irregular antibody screening. Methods: In October 2011, a total of 373 blood samples for ABO/Rh typing and 303 cases for unexpected antibody screening were collected. The IH-1000 was compared to the manual tube and slide methods for ABO/Rh typing and to the microcolumn agglutination method (DiaMed-ID system) for antibody screening. Results: For ABO/Rh typing, concordance rate was 100%. For unexpected antibody screening, positive results for both column agglutination and IH-1000 were observed in 10 cases (four cases of anti-E and c, three of anti-E, one of anti-D, one of anti-M, and one of anti-Xg) and negative results for both were observed in 289 cases. The concordance rate between IH-1000 and column agglutination was 98.7%. Sensitivity and specificity were 90.9% and 99.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The automated IH-1000 showed good correlation with the manual tube and slide methods and the microcolumn agglutination method for ABO-RhD typing and irregular antibody screening. The IH-1000 can be used for routine pre-transfusion testing in the blood bank.

• Annals of Clinical Microbiology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

Background: Tuberculosis is globally the most important cause of death from single pathogen. Rapid and accurate identification of mycobacteria is essential for the control of tuberculosis. We evaluated a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for the differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in direct smears of sputum specimens. Methods: The cross-reactivity of MTB- and NTM-specific PNA probes was examined with reference strains of M. tuberculosis ATCC 13950, Mycobacterium kansasii ATCC 12479, Mycobacterium fortuitum ATCC 6841, several clinical isolates of mycobacteria (Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, Mycobacterium gordonae and Mycobacterium chelonae), and 11 frequently isolated respiratory bacterial species other than mycobacteria. A series of 128 sputa (89 MTB culture positive, 29 NTM culture positive, and 10 under treatment culture negative) with grades of trace to 4+ were used to evaluate the performance of the method. Results: The MTB- and NTM-specific PNA probes showed specific reactions with the reference strains of MTB and M. kansasii and clinical isolates of mycobacteria except M. fortuitum ATCC 6841, and no cross-reactivity with other tested bacteria. The PNA probe-based FISH assay for detection of MTB had a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the NTM-specific PNA probe was 100%. The smear grades of the PNA FISH test were same as with those of the fluorescence AFB stain in 2+ or higher grade. Conclusion: Detection and differentiation based on PNA FISH is sensitive and accurate for detecting mycobacteria and for differentiating MTB from NTM in clinical sputum smears.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2017

Background: We evaluated a sensitive and quantitative method utilizing fragment analysis of the fms-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD), simultaneously measuring mutant allele burden and length, and verified the analytical performance. Methods: The number and allelic burden of FLT3-ITD mutations was determined by fragment analysis. Serial mixtures of mutant and wild-type plasmid DNA were used to calculate the limit of detection of fragment analysis, conventional PCR, and Sanger sequencing. Specificity was evaluated using DNA samples derived from 50 normal donors. Results of fragment analysis were compared to those of conventional PCR, using 481 AML specimens. Results: Defined mixtures were consistently and accurately identified by fragment analysis at a 5% relative concentration of mutant to wild-type, and at 10% and 20% ratios by conventional PCR and direct sequencing, respectively. No false positivity was identified. Among 481 AML specimens, 40.1% (193/481) had FLT3-ITD mutations. The mutant allele burden (1.7-94.1%; median, 28.2%) and repeated length of the mutation (14-153 bp; median, 49 bp) were variable. The concordance rate between fragment analysis and conventional PCR was 97.7% (470/481). Fragment analysis was more sensitive than conventional PCR and detected 11 additional cases: seven had mutations below 10%, three cases represented conventional PCR failure, and one case showed false negativity because of short ITD length (14 bp). Conclusions: The new fragment analysis method proved to be sensitive and reliable for the detection and monitoring of FLT3-ITD in patients with AML. This could be used to simultaneously assess ITD mutant allele burden and length.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.108-115
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• 2017

We report the assembly procedure and performance evaluation of a visible and near-infrared spectrometer in the wavelength region of 400-900 nm, which is later to be combined with fore-optics (a telescope) to form a f/2.5 imaging spectrometer with a field of view of ${\pm}7.68^{\circ}$. The detector at the final image plane is a $640{\times}480$ charge-coupled device with a $24{\mu}m$ pixel size. The spectrometer is in an Offner relay configuration consisting of two concentric, spherical mirrors, the secondary of which is replaced by a convex grating mirror. A double-pass test method with an interferometer is often applied in the assembly process of precision optics, but was excluded from our study due to a large residual wavefront error (WFE) in optical design of 210 nm ($0.35{\lambda}$ at 600 nm) root-mean-square (RMS). This results in a single-path test method with a Shack-Hartmann sensor. The final assembly was tested to have a RMS WFE increase of less than 90 nm over the entire field of view, a keystone of 0.08 pixels, a smile of 1.13 pixels and a spectral resolution of 4.32 nm. During the procedure, we confirmed the validity of using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor to monitor alignment in the assembly of an Offner-like spectrometer.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2019

Purpose In the preparation process for N-13 Ammonia injections, there were radioactive medicines adsorbed on filters remarkably. Hereby, we have compared the adsorption rate and quality test on Millex GS filter and Satorious Minisart filter, both representatively hydrophilic sterilizing filters, also evaluated which filter is more accommodative for N-13 Ammonia injection. Materials and Methods The filters used for sterilization of N-13 Ammonia injections were Millex GS filter($0.22{\mu}m$) mand Satorious Minisart filter ($0.2{\mu}m$), which are generally used to strain aqueous solutions. After the N-13 Ammonia passes through each sterilization filter, the adsorption rate of the filter (n=10) is determined by measuring not only the radioactivity through the filter also the amount of radioactivity remaining in it using a Dose Calibrator. The N-13 Ammonia injections after each filter is tested by the quality control test to conform to the Samsung Medical Center standard. Results The ratio of radioactivity passed through Millex GS indicated $29.0{\pm}17.6%$. Satorious Minisart filters output was $80.9{\pm}3.2%$, respectively. Each ratio of radioactivity adsorbed on the sterile filter was $71.0{\pm}17.6%$ for Millex GS and $19.1{\pm}3.2%$ for the Satorious Minisart filters, respectively. Furthermore, on the ratio of filtered radioactivity, Using Satorious Minisart filter showed about 2.8 times higher than using Millex GS filter. The quality testing of N-13 Ammonia injections through each filter met the Samsung Medical Center standard. Conclusion The Millex GS filter is composed of cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate, whereas the Satorious Minisart filter if composed only of cellulose acetate. Therefore, the presence of cellulose nitrate in the membrane seems to have made differences. Therefore, the use of Satorious Minisart filter in the preparation of N-13 Ammonia injection solution minimized the loss of radioactive medicines due to filter adsorption, thereby improving the synthesis yield.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.149-155
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• 2021

Early warning systems for weather risk management in the agricultural sector have been developed to predict potential wind damage to crops. These systems take into account the daily maximum wind speed to determine the critical wind speed that causes fruit drops and provide the weather risk information to farmers. In an effort to increase the accuracy of wind risk predictions, an artificial neural network for binary classification was implemented. In the present study, the daily wind speed and other weather data, which were measured at weather stations at sites of interest in Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do as well as Gyeongsangbuk- do and part of Gyeongsangnam- do provinces in 2019, were used for training the neural network. These weather stations include 210 synoptic and automated weather stations operated by the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA). The wind speed data collected at the same locations between January 1 and December 12, 2020 were used to validate the neural network model. The data collected from December 13, 2020 to February 18, 2021 were used to evaluate the wind risk prediction performance before and after the use of the artificial neural network. The critical wind speed of damage risk was determined to be 11 m/s, which is the wind speed reported to cause fruit drops and damages. Furthermore, the maximum wind speeds were expressed using Weibull distribution probability density function for warning of wind damage. It was found that the accuracy of wind damage risk prediction was improved from 65.36% to 93.62% after re-classification using the artificial neural network. Nevertheless, the error rate also increased from 13.46% to 37.64%, as well. It is likely that the machine learning approach used in the present study would benefit case studies where no prediction by risk warning systems becomes a relatively serious issue.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Due to enormous market growing of electric vehicles without combustion engine, reducing unwanted BSR (buzz, squeak, and rattle) noise is highly demanded for vehicle quality and performance. Particularly, innerbelt weatherstrips which not only block wind noise, rain, and dust from outside, but also reduce noise and vibration of door glass and vehicle are required to exhibit high damping properties for improved BSR performance of the vehicle. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), which can be recycled and have lighter weight than thermoset elastomers, are receiving much attention for weatherstrip material, but TPEs exhibit low material damping and compression set causing frictional noise and vibration between the door glass and the weatherstrip. In this study, high damping EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer)/PP (polypropylene) thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) were investigated by varying EPDM/PP ratio and ENB (ethylidene norbornene) fraction in EPDM. Viscoelastic properties of TPV materials were characterized by assuming that the material damping is directly related to the viscoelasticity. The optimum material damping factor (tanδ peak 0.611) was achieved with low PP ratio (14 wt%) and high ENB fraction (8.9 wt%), which was increased by 140% compared to the reference (tanδ 0.254). The improved damping is believed due to high fraction of flexible EPDM chains and higher interfacial slippage area of EPDM particles generated by increasing ENB fraction in EPDM. The stick-slip test was conducted to characterize frictional noise and vibration of the TPV weatherstrip. With improved TPV material damping, the acceleration peak of frictional vibration decreased by about 57.9%. This finding can not only improve BSR performance of electric vehicles by designing material damping of weatherstrips but also contribute to various structural applications such as urban air mobility or aircrafts, which require lightweight and high damping properties.