• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.239-247
• /
• 2023

The FIDIC Red Book is an international standard contract condition in which the Employer designs and the Contractor performs the construction. The Engineer of FIDIC Red Book shall agree or determine any matter or Claim in accordance with Sub-Clause 3.7 neutrally, not as an agent of the Employer. This study aimed to derive Key Risk Sub-Clauses out of 49 Sub-Clauses that the Engineer of FIDIC Red Book recently revised in 18 years shall agree or determine according to Sub-Clause 3.7 using the Delphi method. A panel of 35 experts with more than 10 years of experience and expertise in international construction contracts was formed, and through total three Delphi surveys, errors and biases were prevented in the judgment process to improve reliability. As for the research method, 49 Sub-Clauses that engineers shall agree on or determine according to Sub-Clause 3.7 of the FIDIC Red Book were investigated through the analysis of contract conditions. In order to evaluate the probability and impact of contractual risk for each 49 Sub-Clause, the Delphi survey conducted repeatedly a closed-type survey three times on a Likert 10-point scale. The results of the first Delphi survey were delivered during the second survey, and the results of the second survey were delivered to the third survey, which was re-evaluated in the direction of increasing the consensus of experts' opinions. The reliability of the Delphi 3rd survey results was verified with the COV value of the coefficient of variation. The PI Risk Matrix was applied to the average value of risk probability and impact of each of the 49 Sub-Clauses and finally, 9 Key Risk Sub-Clauses that fell within the extreme risk range were derived.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 2019

Purpose: Several radiologic reference lines have been used to evaluate individuals with a clubfoot but there is no consensus as to which is most reliable. The aim of this study was to identify which radiologic parameters have relevance to the predictability of additional surgery after Ponseti casting on clubfoot and the effect of clubfoot treatments that contain Ponseti casting and additional surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 102 clubfeet (65 patients, 37 bilateral) were reviewed from 2005 to 2013. The patients were divided into two groups (Group A, those for whom the result of the Ponseti method was successful and did not require additional surgery; and Group B, those for whom the result of the Ponseti method was unsuccessful and required additional surgery), and the following parameters were measured on the plain radiographs: i) talo-calcaneal angle on the anteroposterior and lateral view, ii) talo-1st metatarsal angle on the anteroposterior view, and iii) Tibio-calcaneal angle on the lateral view with the ankle full-dorsiflexion state. Each radiograph was reviewed on two separate occasions by one orthopedic doctor to characterize the intra-observer reliability, and the averages were analyzed. Next, 20 cases were chosen using a random number table, and two orthopedic doctors measured the angle separately to characterize the interobserver reliability. Results: Groups A and B included 73 clubfeet (71.6%) and 29 clubfeet (28.4%), respectively. The initial talo-calcaneal angle and tibiocalcaneal angle in the lateral view were significantly different among the groups. In addition, inter- and intra-observer biases were not detected. The talo-1st metatarsal angle on the anteroposterior view and tibio-calcaneal angle on the lateral view were significantly different after treatment in both groups. Conclusion: Congenital clubfeet treated with the Ponseti method showed successful results in more than 70% of patients. The initial talocalcaneal angle and tibio-calcaneal angle on the lateral view were the radiologic parameters that could predict the need for additional surgical treatments. The talo-1st metatarsal angle on the anteroposterior view and tibio-calcaneal angle on the lateral view could effectively evaluate the changes in clubfoot after treatment.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.108-117
• /
• 2023

Objectives : Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is characterized by the manifestation of a variety of physical symptoms, but little is known about differences in autonomic nervous system activity according to symptom severity, especially within patient groups. In this study, we examined differences in heart rate variability (HRV) across symptom severity in a group of SSD patients to analyze a representative marker of autonomic nervous system changes by symptoms severity. Methods : Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for patients who were diagnosed with SSD based on DSM-5 from September 18, 2020 to October 29, 2021. We applied inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) methods to generate more homogeneous comparisons in HRV parameters by correcting for selection biases due to sociodemographic and clinical characteristic differences between groups. Results : There were statistically significant correlations between the somatic symptom severity and LF (nu), HF (nu), LF/HF, as well as SD1/SD2 and Alpha1/Alpha2. After IPTW estimation, the mild to moderate group was corrected to 27 (53.0%) and the severe group to 24 (47.0%), and homogeneity was achieved as the differences in demographic and clinical characteristics were not significant. The analysis of inverse probability weighted regression adjustment model showed that the severe group was associated with significantly lower RMSSD (β=-0.70, p=0.003) and pNN20 (β=-1.04, p=0.019) in the time domain and higher LF (nu) (β=0.29, p<0.001), lower HF (nu) (β=-0.29, p<0.001), higher LF/HF (β=1.41, p=0.001), and in the nonlinear domain, significant differences were tested for SampEn15 (β=-0.35, p=0.014), SD1/SD2 (β=-0.68, p<0.001), and Alpha1/Alpha2 (ß=0.43, p=0.001). Conclusions : These results suggest that differences in HRV parameters by SSD severity were showed in the time, frequency and nonlinear domains, specific parameters demonstrating significantly higher sympathetic nerve activity and reduced ability of the parasympathetic nervous system in SSD patients with severe symptoms.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.3
• /
• pp.670-681
• /
• 2021

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the optimal threshold value in Hounsfield units (HU) on CT to detect the solid components of pulmonary subsolid nodules using pathologic invasive foci as reference. Materials and Methods Thin-section non-enhanced chest CT scans of 25 patients with pathologically confirmed minimally invasive adenocarcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. On CT images, the solid portion was defined as the area with higher attenuation than various HU thresholds ranging from -600 to -100 HU in 50-HU intervals. The solid portion was measured as the largest diameter on axial images and as the maximum diameter on multiplanar reconstruction images. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate bias in each threshold by using the pathological size of invasive foci as reference. Results At a threshold of -400 HU, the biases were lowest between the largest/maximum diameter of the solid portion of subsolid nodule and the size of invasive foci of the pathological specimen, with 0.388 and -0.0176, respectively. They showed insignificant difference (p = 0.2682, p = 0.963, respectively) at a threshold of -400 HU. Conclusion For quantitative analysis, -400 HU may be the optimal threshold to define the solid portion of subsolid nodules as a surrogate marker of invasive foci.