• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Purpose : Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). Methods : We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. Results : The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. Conclusion : VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2010

Purpose : We aimed to investigate the clinical and phylogenetic characteristics of Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infections (E. coli UTI). Methods : We enrolled patients with culture-proven E. coli UTI, who were admitted at the study hospital from September 2008 to August 2009. We investigated clinical data of patients with E. coli UTI and characteristics of isolated E. coli strains. The phylogenetic groups were classified using triplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the distribution of nine virulent genes was determined by multiplex PCR. Results : A total of 47 patients have participated in this study. Thirty (63.8%) were under 6 months; eight (17.0%) were between 6-12 months; and nine (19.1%) were over 12 months. We compared two age groups between under 6-month and over 6-month. In the age group under 6-month, higher proportion of male (P =0.002) and group B2 strains (P =0.020) were observed. In contrast, higher proportion of female and group non-B2 strains were observed in age group over 6-month. Frequencies of papC, papGII, papGIII, sfa/foc, hlyC, cnf1, fyuA, iroN and iucC were estimated as 68.1%, 57.4%, 42.6%, 46.8%, 46.8%, 31.9%, 87.2%, 48.9% and 63.8%, respectively. In the comparison of phylogenetic groups, group B2 showed higher distribution of virulent genes, while group D included more strains resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ) than other groups. Conclusion : We showed the age group-specific difference in the distribution of sex ratios and phylogenetic groups; more male and group B2 strains in age group under 6-month, while more female and group non-B2 in age group over 6-month. However, further evaluation including larger number of patients will be necessary to confirm above thesis in future molecular epidemiological studies.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.20 no.2 s.22
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• pp.312-321
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• 1987

To investigate the maternal and child factors associated with early detection of cerebral palsy, 74 mothers of cerebral palsy children who were born since January 1, 1980 and being treated at Taegu Rehabilitation Center for the Handicapped, Rehabilitiation Center of Taegu University, St. Paul Children's House and Pusan Welfare Association of Cerebral Palsy Children were interviewed from February to April 1987. There is no association between age of child when parents noticed the child's abnormality and educational level of father but it tend to be detected earlier when education level of mother is college or above compared with high school or under. There is a trend of earlier detection of child's abnormality although statistically not significant in case father is professional or managerial worker, monthly income of father is over \610,000, child is first-born, age of the parents is 34 years or under, child is a boy, and child has periodic well-baby check-up. The child's abnormality is detected earlier when mothers had 7 prenatal visits or more compared with those who had 6 visits or less (p<0.05). Parents noticed the child's abnormality first in 85.1% of the cases whereas doctors detected it first in 2.7% and this percentage was not different whether the child had periodic well-baby check-up or not. The first physician's diagnosis of the children was cerebral palsy in 36.5% and the rest was normal, need for observation, uncertain, etc. Parents took the child to doctor for diagnosis 2-3 months after they noticed the child's abnormality and after the child was diagnosed as cerebral palsy parents either took no therapeutic measure or brought the child to physiotherapy or acupuncture or gave herb medicine before they started specific rehabilitative therapy. For early detection of the cerebral palsy children, teaching of evaluation method for child development should be reinforced both in medical school and clinical training course and should train the specialist for diagnosis and treatment of crippling conditions. Also, public education is needed for the importance of early detection of crippling conditions and currently available methods for diagnosis and treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.83-93
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• 2002

To improve the performance of estimation, the research that uses additional information addition to traffic count and target OD with additional survey cost have been studied. The purpose of this paper is to improve the performance of OD estimation by reducing the feasible solutions with cost-efficiently additional information addition to traffic counts and target OD. For this purpose, we Propose the OD estimation method with sample link use proportion as additional information. That is, we obtain the relationship between OD trip and link flow from sample link use proportion that is high reliable information with roadside survey, not from the traffic assignment of target OD. Therefore, this paper proposes OD estimation algorithm in which the conservation of link flow rule under the path-based non-equilibrium traffic assignment concept. Numerical result with test network shows that it is possible to improve the performance of OD estimation where the precision of additional data is low, since sample link use Proportion represented the information showing the relationship between OD trip and link flow. And this method shows the robust performance of estimation where traffic count or OD trip be changed, since this method did not largely affected by the error of target OD and the one of traffic count. In addition to, we also propose that we must set the level of data precision by considering the level of other information precision, because "precision problem between information" is generated when we use additional information like sample link use proportion etc. And we Propose that the method using traffic count as basic information must obtain the link flow to certain level in order to high the applicability of additional information. Finally, we propose that additional information on link have a optimal counting location problem. Expecially by Precision of information side it is possible that optimal survey location problem of sample link use proportion have a much impact on the performance of OD estimation rather than optimal counting location problem of link flow.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.347-352
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• 1983

To characterize humus fractions in soil, visible, ultraviolet and infrared absorption spectra of humic acids in alkaline solutions and hymatomelanic acids in ethanol solutions extracted by Stevenson's method from paddy rice soils, peats, and volcanic ash soils were analyzed. The spectra patterns of both fractions in visible and ultraviolet ranges did not have any peak and the absorbance decreased as the wavelength increased. Visible and ultraviolet spectra of the solutions from all the peats, volcanic ash soils and paddy rice soil were very similar each other but absorbances were slowly declined in the order of volcanic ash soils, peats and mineral paddy soils. The infrared spectra of the two solutions appeared in a typical pattern, showing a few broad peaks. The main absorption bands were in the regions of $3400cm^{-1}$ (hydrogen bonded OH), near $2900cm^{-1}$ (aliphatic CH), $1720cm^{-1}$ (C=O of COOH, C=O of carbonyl), $1625cm^{-1}$ (aromatic C-C conjugated with C=O and/or COO-), $1400-1450cm^{-1}$ (CH stretch), $1200-1250cm^{-1}$ (CaO stretch of phenolic OH or OH-deformation of COOH) and $1050cm^{-1}$. The hymatomelanic acid fractions, however, had spectra that were characterized especially by very distinct absorption at $2900cm^{-1}$ and $1720cm^{-1}$, for aliphatic CH and carbonyl stretching vibration respectively in addition to the weaker bands for COO- or aromatic CH vibration at $1625cm^{-1}$, as compared to humic acid. No differences were noted in the general patterns of the spectograms of both fractions extracted. Analyses of the functional groups revealed little differences between peats and paddy soils, although total acidity and the content of carboxyl groups were decreased in the order of volcanic ash soils, peats and mineral paddy soils.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2011

Cauliflower mushroom ($Sparassis$ $crispa$) is being cultivated as a functional mushroom since the mushroom contains larger amount of ${\beta}$-glucan than other edible or medicinal mushrooms. In this study, as a fundamental study for the cultivation process of cauliflower mushroom, we assayed the mycelial growth and the productivity of the mushroom cultivated on the sawdust-based medium made of larch ($Larix$ $kaempferi$) by 4 kinds of medium densities and 6 kinds of particle sizes. Low densities of sawdust-based media (0.68~0.72 g/$cm^3$) showed high variations in mycelial growth at early stage on sawdust-based medium. The coefficient of variance for the mycelial growth decreased from higher than 40% at the 3rd week to lower than 10% at the 7th week. High density of sawdust-based medium (0.80 g/$cm^3$) showed relatively lower variation in the mycelial growth at early stage with less than 30% of coefficient of variance, the high density of sawdust-based medium was thought to be quite stable compared to the lower densities of sawdust-based medium. From the viewpoint of mushroom productivity especially for the goods (excluding bottom of fruiting body), 0.76 g/$cm^3$ was better than any other densities; the return rates of fruiting body from each medium were 12.2, 13.6, 13.1, and 12.0% for 0.80, 0.76, 0.72, and 0.68 g/$cm^3$, respectively. By the way, it took about 40 days for harvesting from primordium formation with the sawdust-based medium excluded the particles less than 1 mm, while it took about 70 days with the medium including the particles less than 1 mm. The yield from the sawdust-based medium with the particles less than 1 mm was also quite less than any other sawdust-based medium especially for the goods. Therefore, we recommend that the sawdust-based medium with larch for the cultivation of cauliflower mushroom be prepared as 0.76 g/$cm^3$ in medium density with excluding the particles less than 1 mm.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.757-767
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of moisture content and particle size of sawdust on the fuel characteristics of wood pellets produced with Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica, QUM), red pine (Pinus densiflora, PID) and larch (Larix kaempferi, LAK) sawdust using a flat-die pelletizer. Prior to produce wood pellets, the sawdust was controlled to the moisture content of 8, 11, 12% and was screened to the particle size of 2 and 4 mesh. In the analysis of its chemical composition, QUM had a high ash content, and PID and LAK contained large amount of lignin. In case of the fuel characteristics, PID pellets had the lowest moisture content of pellets (P-MC), and LAR pellets was found to have the highest bilk density (BD) and durability (DU). With the increase of moisture content of sawdust (S-MC), P-MC and DU of QUM, PID and LAK pellets increased, but BD of QUM and LAK pellets decreased. When size of sawdust used for the production of wood pellets decreased, P-MC and BD of LAK pellets and BD of QUM pellets increased. Decrease of particle size contributed to the increase of DU of QUM, PID and LAK pellets. In addition, BD and DU of QUM pellets produced with 12% S-MC sawdust increased as its particle size reduced. For LAK pellets, DU was not influence by particle size in the S-MCs of 10% and 12%, but increased with the decrease of particle size in the S-MC of 8%. Based on the results and economical aspects, 10% MC and 2 mesh paricle size for QUM sawdust and 12% MC and 2 mesh particle size for PID sawdust might be optimal conditions for pellets production, and fuel characteristics of wood pellets produced by the conditions greatly exceeded the minimum requirements for the $1^{st}$-grade wood pellets of the standard designated by Korea Forest Research Institute.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.213-222
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• 2010

In this study, chemical compositions - holocellulose, lignin and monomeric sugars - were characterized with two poplar wood cell walls, one of which was grown at normal condition (CPW) and the other was genetically modified by antisence suppression of CCoAOMT gene expression (ACPW). Milled wood lignins were isolated from CPW and ACPW and subjected to methoxyl group, DFRC, Py-GC/MS, GPC, $^{13}C$-NMR analysis, respectively. There were few differences in holocellulose contents in both cell walls, which were determined to 81.6% in CPW and to 82.3% in ACPW. However, lignin contents in ACPW was clearly decreased by the suppression of CCoAOMT gene expression. In CPW 21.7% of lignin contents was determined, while lignin contents in ACPW was lowered to 18.3%. The relative poor solubility of ACPW in alkali solution could be attributed to the reduction of lignin content. The glucose contents of CPW and ACPW were measured to 511.0 mg/g and 584.8 mg/g and xylose contents 217.8 mg/g and 187.5 mg/g, respectively, indicating that suppression of CCoAOMT gene expression could be also influenced to the formation of monomeric sugar compositions. In depth investigation for milled wood lignin (MWL) isolated from both samples revealed that the methoxyl contents at ACPW was decreased by 7% in comparison to that of CPW, which were indirectly evidenced by $^{13}C$-NMR spectra and Py-GC/MS. According to the data from Py-GC/MS S/G ratios of lignin in CPW and ACPW were determined to 0.59 and 0.44, respectively. As conclusive remark, the biosynthesis of syringyl unit could be further influenced by antisense suppression of CCoAOMT during phenylpropanoid pathway in the plant cell wall rather than that of guaiacyl unit.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.439-446
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• 2008

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of the left ventricular (LV) systolic function, the LV dimension and the LV mass with the QT dispersion in patients with stable angina, and we also wanted to compare this relationship between patients with and without significant coronary stenosis on coronary angiography. Material and Method: 174 patients complained of typical angina and they had no associated ST segment or cardiac enzyme abnormalities. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the results of coronary angiography: the patients with angiographic coronary stenosis ${\geq}50%$ made up group I (n=101), and the patients with angiographic coronary stenosis <50% made up group II (n=73). An echocardiogram for assessing the LV ejection fraction (EF), the LV dimension and the LV mass and a 12.lead electrocardiogram for assessing the QT dispersion were performed before the coronary angiography. Result: The QT dispersion was significantly greater in group I than that in group II (39.8 ms vs. 33.3 ms; p<0.05). For all the patients, all the parameters of LV dimension and LV mass had statistically positive correlation to the QT dispersion, but the LV mass was the only independently significant parameter that was correlated with the increased QT dispersion (p<0.05). For group I, none of the echocardiographic parameters had significant correlation with the QT dispersion. However, the LV dimension and LV mass had significantly positive correlation with the QT dispersion, and the LV mass was also the only independently significant parameter that was correlated with increased QT dispersion in group II (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a significantly positive correlation of the QT dispersion to the LV dimension and the LV mass in patients with stable angina. These findings are present only in patients without significant coronary stenosis.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.228-234
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate quality characteristics of the meat batter containing dietary fiber extracted rice bran. The formulations of meat batters were manufactured in a model system with 2% raw rice bran and 2, 4, 6% levels of dietary fiber extracted rice bran, respectively. The proximate compositions of dietary fiber extracted rice bran were 53.27% dietary fiber, 6.10% crude fat, 22.99% crude protein, 12.78% crude moisture, and 7.41% crude ash. Compared with control of uncooked meat batter, the pH value of all treatments were significantly different(p<0.05). The pH of cooked meat batter were similar to uncooked meat batter. $CIE\;L^*-\;and\;CIE\;b^*-value$ of uncooked meat batter containing dietary fiber extracted rice bran were lower than control, but CIE $a^*-value$ of treatment was higher than those in control(p<0.05). All treatments had significantly lower cooking loss and emulsion stability than control(p<0.05). Compared with control, viscosity of the treatments containing dietary fiber extracted rice bran were observed significantly higher than those in control (p<0.05). And then hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of treatments were higher than in control(p<0.05). Conclusively, the results of this study showed that addition of dietary fiber extracted rice bran affected the high quality properties of meat batter.