• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.232-239
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• 2001

Background : Asthmatic patients frequently suffer cold-weather-associated respiratory symptoms. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and diagnostic value of isocapnic hyperventilation of cold air(IHCA) using a multistep method, was investigated in patients suspected to have asthma. Method : One hundred and 29 adult patients who had an IHCA performed between july 1999 and December 2000, had an methacholine bronchoprovocation test because of a clinical suspicion of asthma. Results : According to strict criteria, 50 were defined as asthmatics and 79 as symptomatic nonasthmatics. There were no differences in age, sex and smoking state between the asthmatic and symptomatic nonasthmatic groups. There was a significant decrease in the percentage reduction in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second($FEV_1$) after the IHCA between the asthmatics($-10.0{\pm}6.8%$) and the symptomatic nonasthmatics($-2.3{\pm}2.5%)$. The factors associated with a reactivity to IHCA were $FEV_1$/FVC, $FEF_{25-75}$%/FVC and $FEV_1$(% of predicted). The accuracy was highest using a 7% fall in $FEV_1$ ; the sensitivity was 76% and the specificity 96%. Conclusion : IHCA is a specific, although not a sensitive, test for diagnosing asthma in adult patients. Furthermore, the diagnostic cut-off value of the different methods of IHCA need to be determined.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.453-459
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• 2015

Split-flow thin cell fractionation (SPLITT fractionation, SF) is a particle separation technique that allows continuous (and thus a preparative scale) separation into two subpopulations based on the particle size or the density. In SF, there are two basic performance parameters. One is the throughput (TP), which was defined as the amount of sample that can be processed in a unit time period. Another is the fractionation efficiency (FE), which was defined as the number % of particles that have the size predicted by theory. Full-feed depletion mode (FFD-SF) have only one inlet for the sample feed, and the channel is equipped with a flow stream splitter only at the outlet in SF mode. In conventional FFD-mode, it was difficult to extend channel due to splitter in channel. So, we use large scale splitter-less FFD-SF to increase TP from increase channel scale. In this study, a FFD-SF channel was developed for a large-scale fractionation, which has no flow stream splitters (‘splitter less’), and then was tested for optimum TP and FE by varying the sample concentration and the flow rates at the inlet and outlet of the channel. Polyurethane (PU) latex beads having two different size distribution (about 3~7 µm, and about 2~30 µm) were used for the test. The sample concentration was varied from 0.2 to 0.8% (wt/vol). The channel flow rate was varied from 70, 100, 120 and 160 mL/min. The fractionated particles were monitored by optical microscopy (OM). The sample recovery was determined by collecting the particles on a 0.1 µm membrane filter. Accumulation of relatively large micron sized particles in channel could be prevented by feeding carrier liquid. It was found that, in order to achieve effective TP, the concentration of sample should be at higher than 0.4%.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2004

The soil samples were collected from the paddy field near the mine tailing dumps in the abandoned Duckum mine in Korea. In the laboratory, the soil solution was extracted from the soil using centrifuge, and analysed for the chemical composition. Physical and chemical soil properties were also analysed. Kaolinite is the main clay minerals in the paddy soil and the CEC value is therefore relatively low. Nearly all soil samples show enrichment in their trace elemental concentrations(Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) compared with natural background level. Some soil samples exceed the soil remediation intervention values for Cd, Pb and Zn and target value for Cu, when compared with Dutch standard, whereas As, Ni and Cr are in normal range. Lead concentrations in some samples near the mine tailing dumps also exceed the standard for remediation act for agricultural area set by Korean soil conservation law. The trace elemental concentrations are higher in the paddy soil nearer the mine tailing dumps and lower for the samples from distance. Similar trend with distance is found for the soil solution chemistry but the decrease with distance from the mine tailing dumps are sharper than the changes in soil chemistry. Cadmium, Cu and Pb concentrations in the soil solution are very low, ranging from a tenth and hundredths to a maximum of several mg/l, whereas their concentrations in soils are highly enriched for natural background. Most of the trace elements are thought to be either removed by reduced iron sulphides or iron oxides, depending on the redox changes. Geochemical equilibrium modelling indicate the presence of solubility controlling solid phases for Cd and Pb, whereas Zn and Cu might have been controlled by adsorption/desorption processes. Although pollutants migration through solution phase are thought to be limited by adsorption onto various Fe, Mn solid phases, the pollutants exist as easily releasable fractions such as exchangeable site. In this case, the paddy soil would act as pollutant pool, which will supply to plants in situ. whenever the geochemical conditions favour.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2003

In this study, muscle activity was measured using surface EMG (sEMG) during a voluntary maneuver (ankle dorsiflexion) in the supine position was compared pre and post gait training. Nine patients with incomplete spinal cord injury participated in a supported treadmill ambulation training (STAT), twenty minutes a day, five days a week for three months. Two tests, a gait speed test and a voluntary maneuver test, were made the same day, or at least the same week, pre and post gait training. Ten healthy subjects' data recorded using the same voluntary maneuvers were used for the reference. sEMG measured from ten lower limb muscles was used to observe the two features of amplitude and motor control distribution pattern, named response vector. The result showed that the average gait speed of patients increased significantly (p〈0.1) from 0.47$\pm$0.35 m/s to 0.68$\pm$0.52 m/s. In sEMG analysis, six out of nine patients showed a tendency to increase the right tibialis anterior activity during right ankle dorsiflexion from 109.7$\pm$148.5 $mutextrm{V}$ to 145.9$\pm$180.7 $mutextrm{V}$ but it was not significant (p〈0.055). In addition, only two patients showed increase of correlation coefficient and total muscle activity in the left fide during left dorsiflexion. Patients' muscle activity changes after gait training varied individually and generally depended on their muscle control abilities of the pre-STAT status. Response vector being introduced for quantitative analysis showed good Possibility to anticipate. evaluate, and/or guide patients with SCI, before and after gait training.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.420-433
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to improve the calibration matrixes of 2-D and 3-D convective rainfall rates (CRR) using the brightness temperature of the infrared $10.8{\mu}m$ channel (IR), the difference of brightness temperatures between infrared $10.8{\mu}m$ and vapor $6.7{\mu}m$ channels (IR-WV), and the normalized reflectance of the visible channel (VIS) from the COMS satellite and rainfall rate from the weather radar for the period of 75 rainy days from April 22, 2011 to October 22, 2011 in Korea. Especially, the rainfall rate data of the weather radar are used to validate the new 2-D and 3-DCRR calibration matrixes suitable for the Korean peninsula for the period of 24 rainy days in 2011. The 2D and 3D calibration matrixes provide the basic and maximum CRR values ($mm\;h^{-1}$) by multiplying the rain probability matrix, which is calculated by using the number of rainy and no-rainy pixels with associated 2-D (IR, IR-WV) and 3-D (IR, IR-WV, VIS) matrixes, by the mean and maximum rainfall rate matrixes, respectively, which is calculated by dividing the accumulated rainfall rate by the number of rainy pixels and by the product of the maximum rain rate for the calibration period by the number of rain occurrences. Finally, new 2-D and 3-D CRR calibration matrixes are obtained experimentally from the regression analysis of both basic and maximum rainfall rate matrixes. As a result, an area of rainfall rate more than 10 mm/h is magnified in the new ones as well as CRR is shown in lower class ranges in matrixes between IR brightness temperature and IR-WV brightness temperature difference than the existing ones. Accuracy and categorical statistics are computed for the data of CRR events occurred during the given period. The mean error (ME), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean squire error (RMSE) in new 2-D and 3-D CRR calibrations led to smaller than in the existing ones, where false alarm ratio had decreased, probability of detection had increased a bit, and critical success index scores had improved. To take into account the strong rainfall rate in the weather events such as thunderstorms and typhoon, a moisture correction factor is corrected. This factor is defined as the product of the total precipitable waterby the relative humidity (PW RH), a mean value between surface and 500 hPa level, obtained from a numerical model or the COMS retrieval data. In this study, when the IR cloud top brightness temperature is lower than 210 K and the relative humidity is greater than 40%, the moisture correction factor is empirically scaled from 1.0 to 2.0 basing on PW RH values. Consequently, in applying to this factor in new 2D and 2D CRR calibrations, the ME, MAE, and RMSE are smaller than the new ones.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1019-1029
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• 1997

Background : Elevation of resting energy expenditure(REE) in patients with lung cancer has been described in earlier studies and may contribute to cancer cachexia, but limited information is available regarding the prevalence and determinants of the increased REE. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and contributing factors of a hypermetabolic state in newly detected patients with lung cancer and to assess the energy balance in order to improve our knowledge about weight loss in patients with lung cancer. Method : Thirty one consecutive, newly detected patients with lung cancer and 20 control patients with benign lung diseases were included in this study. Resting energy expenditure(REE) was measured by indirect calorimetry using ventilated hood system and predicted REE was calculated by the Harris-Benedict formular. Results : The energy balance in newly detected lung cancer patients was disturbed in a high proportion of patients, and hypermetabolic state occurred in 61% of the patients. Tumor volume, cancer type, location, stage, the presence of atelectasis or infiltration, pulmonary function, or smoking behavior were not associated with increase in REE. But patients with distant metastasis had significantly higher REE comparing with patients without metastasis. Thirty nine percents of the patients with lung cancer had substantial loss of more than 10% of their pre-illness weight. Weight losing patients with lung cancer were not accompanied by an increase in REE. Conclusion : We concluded that the REE was elevated in a higher proportion of patients with lung cancer and distant metastasis was found to be contributing factor to the elevated REE.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2008

Background: Residual pleural thickening (RPT) is the most frequent complication of tuberculous pleurisy (TP), and this can happen despite of administering adequate anti-tuberculous (TB) therapy. Yet there was no definite relation between RPT and other variables. The aim of this study was to examine matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and to identify the factors that can predict the occurrence of RPT. Methods: The patients with newly-detected pleural effusions were prospectively enrolled in this study from January 2004 to June 2005. The levels of MMP-1, -2, -8 and -9, and TIMP-1 and -2 were determined in the serum and pleural fluid by ELISA. The residual pleural thickness was measured at the completion of treatment and at the point of the final follow-up with the chest X-ray films. Results: The study included 39 patients with pleural fluid (PF). Twenty-three had tuberculous effusion, 7 had parapneumonic effusion, 7 had malignant effusion and 2 had transudates. For the 17 patients who completed the anti-TB treatment among the 23 patients with TP, 7 (41%) had RPT and 10 (59%) did not. The level of PF TIMP-1 in the patients with RPT ($41,405.9{\pm}9,737.3ng/mL$) was significantly higher than that of those patients without RPT ($29,134.9{\pm}8,801.8$) at the completion of treatment (p=0.032). In 13 patients who were followed-up until a mean of $8{\pm}5$ months after treatment, 2 (15%) had RPT and 11 (85%) did not. The level of PF TIMP-2 in the patients with RPT ($34.4{\pm}6.5ng/mL$) was lower than that of those patients without RPT ($44.4{\pm}15.5$) at the point of the final follow-up (p=0.038). Conclusion: The residual pleural thickening in TP might be related to the TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels in the pleural fluid.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 1976

The workers involved in breeding the growth of forest trees as well as in the efficiency of breeding work wish to find out the evidence that juvenile-mature correlations are high and that therefore early tests can be profitably employed in relation work. Juvenile-mature correlation denotes in general sense the interdependence between qualitative or quantitative data collected at different intervals during the life cycle. The correlation can also be obtained through the stem analysis if there is the possibility of cutting sample trees needed amount. In the present study, the juvenile-mature correlation coefficients are calculated from the stem analysis data. The every possible values of correlation coefficient between the 5-year age groups as to diameter, height, and volume growth of Pinus koraiensis S. et Z. and Larix leptolepis Gord. grown in the middle district of Korea were calculated. All the sample trees were cut from the man made plantation. The correlation coefficients are presented in tables and figures. In Pinus koraiensis S. et Z., the values of correlation coefficient between the successive age groups of heights growth are lower in general than those values pertaining to diameter growth. This tendencies are indifferent to site quality. In Larix leptolepis Gord., the values were lower thant these of Pinus koraiensis S.etZ. In any species and characteristics studied, the implications that at least 15 years growth character are related to 35 or 40 years size with reliability could be deduced. Through the relative ranking studies of diameter, height and volume growth of Larix leptolepis Gord., the large varieties among individual trees are appeared during 5-year to 35 year old.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2001

Purpose: In young male patients who suffered several kinds of trauma with subsequent suspicious reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, we performed three-phasic bone scan in order to investigate its usefulness. Materials and Methods: Patients with narrow range of age (21-25. mean $22.8{\pm}1.3$, all male) were included with suspicious reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome of 12 feet and 5 hands. Only one was bilateral feet case and 16 were ipsilateral (Rt:13, Lt:3). The etiologic traumas were 4 fractures, 4 sprains, 3 blunt trauma, 2 cellulitis, 1 tendon tear, 1 crush injury, 1 overexercise, and 1 unknown. Radiologically 3 showed osteoporotic changes. Three-phasic bone scans were performed $21.2{\pm}7.3wks$ after trauma. Results: According to symptom complex, confirmatory reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome 4 cases and suspicious 13 were analyzed. All confirmatory cases (100%) showed increased uptake at delay phase with periarticular accentuation. Of confirmatory 4 cases, 2 showed increased uptake in all three phases (perfusion: P, blood pool: B, and delay: D), and other 2 revealed decreased P but, both increased B and D. Of suspicious 13 cases, 9(69.2%) had increased D (4 periarticular and 5 focal), 2 decreased D, and 2 symmetric D. In 12 foot cases, so-called weight hearing patterns - increased contralateral sole at P and B - were revealed in 7(58.3%). Conclusion: Diffuse periarticular increased uptake at delay phase of three-phasic bone scan was a compatible finding to reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome in young male patients whose symptom complex strongly designated post traumatic reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.209-216
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• 1999

Purpose : Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare X-linked disorder associated with renal tubule resistance to arginine vasopressin (AVP). The hypothesis that the defect underlying NDI might be a dysfunctional renal AVPR2 has recently been proven by the identification of mutations in the AVPR2 gene in NDT patients. To investigate the association of mutations in th AVPR2 gene with NDI, we analyzed the AVPR2 gene located on the X chromosome. Methods : We have analyzed the AVPR2 gene in a kindred with X-linked NDI. The proband and proband's mother were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism(PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing of the AVPR2 gene. We also have used restriction enzyme analysis of genomic PCR product to evaluate the AVPR2 gene. Results : C to T transition at codon 202, predictive of an exchange of tryptophan 202 by cysteine(R202C) in the third extracellular domain was identified. This mutation causes a loss of Hae III site within the gene. Conclusion : We found a R202C missense mutation in the AVPR2 gene causing X-linked NDI, and now direct mutational analysis is available for carrier screening and early diagnosis.