• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.173-187
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• 2015

The goal of present work is the preparation of a novel positively charged nanofiltration (NF) membrane and its development for the cation removal of aqueous solutions. This NF membrane was fabricated by the surface modification of polysulfone (PSf) ultrafiltration support. The active top-layer was formed by interfacial cross-linking polymerization of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) with p-xylylene dichloride (XDC) and then quaternized with methyl iodide to form a perpetually positively charged layer. In order to improve the efficiency of nanofiltration membrane, the concentration of PEI, XDC and methyl iodide solutions, PEI coating and cross-linking time have been optimized. As a result, a high water flux and high $CaCl_2$ rejection (1,000 ppm) was obtained for the composite membrane with values of $18.29L/m^2.h$ and 93.62% at 4 bar and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. The rejections of NF membrane for different salt solutions followed the order of $Na_2SO_4$ < $MgSO_4$ < NaCl < $CaCl_2$. Molecular weight of cut off (MWCO) was calculated via retaining of PEG solutions with different molecular weights that finally, it revealed the Stokes and hydrodynamic radius of 1.457 and 2.507 nm on the membrane selective layer, respectively. The most efficient positively charged nanofiltration membrane exhibited a $Ni^{2+}$ rejection of 96.26% for industrial wastewater from Shamse Hadaf Co. (Kashan, Iran).

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.503-509
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• 2008

A series of colorless polyimide (PI) nanocomposite films were synthesized from 2,2'-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl (TFDB) with various organoclay contents by solution intercalation polymerization to poly(amic acid)s, followed by thermal imidization. The variation with the organoclay content of the thermomechanical properties, morphology, and optical transparency of the hybrids was examined at organoclay loadings ranging from 0 to 1.0 wt%. The hybrid films showed high optical transparency and almost no color, with cut-off wavelengths ranging from 352 and 356 nm and very low $b^*$ values of 1.19-1.77. The hybrid PI films showed good thermal properties with a glass transition temperature of $280-287^{\circ}C$. Most films did not show any significant thermal decomposition below $490^{\circ}C$. The addition of only a small amount of organoclay was sufficient to improve the tensile properties of the PI films with maximum enhancement being observed at 0.25 wt% organoclay. Moreover, these PI hybrids also had low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE).

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2021

We have evaluated the suppression effect of atmospheric-turbulence-induced optical scintillation in terrestrial free-space optical (FSO) communication systems using a gain-saturated erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The variation of EDFA output signal power has been measured with different amounts of gain saturation and modulation indices of the optical input signal. From the measured results, we have found that the peak-to-peak power variation was decreased drastically below 2 kHz of modulation frequency, in both 3-dB and 6-dB gain compression cases. Then, the power spectral density (PSD) of optical scintillation has been calculated with Butterworth-type transfer function. In the calculation, different levels of atmospheric-turbulence-induced optical scintillation have been taken into account with different values of the Butterworth cut-off frequency. Finally, the suppression effect of optical scintillation has been estimated with the measured frequency response of the EDFA and the calculated PSD of the optical scintillation. From our estimated results, the atmospheric-turbulence-induced optical scintillation could be suppressed efficiently, as long as the EDFA were operated in a deeply gain-saturated region.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.282-292
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• 2021

In this work, we tested commercial organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes using both in-house dead-end and crossflow systems. Four different crosslinked polyimide Duramem (DM) OSN membranes with various MWCO (molecular weight cut off) values were tested in organic solvents such as ethanol, N,N-dimethylformamide, acetone and acetonitrile. The membranes exhibited more reliable and reproducible performance in the crossflow system, and the performance changed significantly depending in the physical properties of the testing solvent. This is due to the initial stabilization period via pressure-induced compaction phenomenon, which can be vastly different between membrane samples. Hence, to obtain reliable and reproducible results, crossflow system is the preferred choice.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.65-74
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• 2024

Purpose: This study was conducted to verify fall predictive power and reasonable fall risk assessment tool by a comparative analysis of the sensitivity, specificity, positive forecast and negative forecast of each tool by applying Morse Fall Scale (MFS), Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT), and Fall Assessment Scale-Korean version (FAS-K) through electronic medical records to adult patients hospitalized in a general hospital in Korea. Methods: We performed a retrospective evaluation study from January to December 2018, 123 fall groups experiencing falls during hospitalization and 123 non-falls groups were selected. Data presented a reasonable assessment tool that predicts and distinguishes fall high-risk patients through area comparison based on the ROC curve for each tool. Results: In the ROC curve analysis by fall risk assessment group, the AUC of MFS is shown to be .706 (good), JHFRAT is shown to be .649 (sufficient) and FAS-K is shown to be .804 (very good). FAS-K at a cut-off score of 4, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative prediction values were 83.7%, 60.2%, 67.8%, and 78.7%, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the above findings, it is believed that the FAS-K was presented as a suitable and reasonable tool for predicting falls for adult patients in general hospitals.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.16-26
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• 2004

As the importance of outdoor lighting become more widely recognized, outdoor lighting has been installed in many buildings, plazas, landscape, and historical monuments in Korea, Outdoor lighting on showing complex, in particular, express its values as local landmarks. However, the excessive outdoor lighting in the large-scale shopping complex tends to cause light pollution. Many advanced countries are trying to create a comfortable lighting environment by the guidlines and regulations on outdoor lighting to prevent light pollution. For this research backgrounds, the light pollution of three showing complexes in Seoul have been investigated. For the purpose, luminance of building facade, horizontal illuminance, and vertical illuminance were measured with proper measurement instruments and compared the results with the CIE recommendations. The results of the study are as follows. As no cut-off luminaries are currently installed on pedestrian walks, some glare were occured partially. It also shows that the luminance of building facades are high to improve the degree of public awareness of buildings and advertisements. In other words, the luminance of the building facade, when compared with that of the CIE recommendations, is twice as high and the vatical illuminance of pedestrian walks is far higher than that of the CIE recommendations, which proves the existence of light pollution. As Korea has not yet provided proper regulations or guidelines for the control of light pollution, it is necessary to make appropriate codes for it.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2005

Several tests were conducted to determine the optimum operational conditions of soil washing techniques for floe-forming arsenic-contaminated soils, collected from D abandoned Iron-mine in Korea. The optimum cut-off size was 0.15 mm $(sieve\;\#100)$, about $94\%$ of the mass of soils. Both sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid were effective to remove arsenic and the optimum mixing ratio (soil [g] : washing solution [mL]) was 1:5 for both washing agents. Arsenic concentrations, determined by KST Methods, for the dried floe solids obtained from flocculation at pH 5-6 were $990\~1,086\;mg/kg$ dry solids, which were higher concentrations than at the other pH values. Therefore, batch tests for sequential washings with or without removing floc were conducted to find the enhancement of washing efficiencies. After removing floe with 0.2 M HCl, sequential washings of 1 M HCl followed by 1 M NaOH showed the best results (15 mg/kg dry soil). The arsenic concentrations of washing effluent from each washing step were about $2\~3\;mg/L$. However, when these acidic and basic effluents were mixed together, arsenic concentration was decreased to be less than $50\;{\mu}g/L$, due to the pH condition of coagulation followed by precipitation for arsenic removal.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.14-18
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• 2010

Objectives : We evaluated the use of FDG PET/CT for the identification of cervical nodal metastases of SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx with histological correlation. Material and Methods : We reviewed 46 medical records, from January 2004 to July 2007, of patients who underwent FDG PET/CT and CT/MRI for SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx before surgery. We recorded the lymph node metastases according to the neck level affected and the system used for the imaging-based nodal classification. Results : The FDG PET/CT had a sensitivity of 75.6% and a specificity of 96.7% ; it had a higher sensitivity than the CT/MRI for identification of cervical metastases on the side of the neck(26/28 vs. 20/28, p=0.031) and at each of the cervical levels(34/45 vs. 26/45, p=0.008). There was a significant difference in the $SUV_{max}$ between the benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes($3.31{\pm}3.23$ vs. $4.22{\pm}2.57$, p=0.028). The receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for differentiating the benign from the malignant cervical lymph nodes, showed that the area under the curve(AUC) of the FDG PET/CT was 0.775. The cut-off value for the $SUV_{max}$ was 2.23 based on the ROC curve. There was a significant correlation between the $SUV_{max}$ and the size of the cervical lymph nodes(Spearman r=0.353, p=0.048). Conclusion : FDG PET/CT images were more accurate than the CT/MRI images. In addition, the $SUV_{max}$ cut-off values were important for evaluating cervical the cervical nodes in the patients with SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.416-420
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• 2006

Compare to testing sera individually, pooled-serum testing has considered as a cost-effective method, particularly on a large population-based seroprevalence studies. This study was to determine the relationship between individual sera and pooled sera titers for detection of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and to evaluate suitability of pooled sera by comparing prevalences estimated from both samples. A total of 5,000 individual samples were collected from 500 flocks in Chungcheong, Gyunsgi, and Kangwon provinces between January 2005 and February 2006. Ten samples were randomly selected from each flock. Five-hundred pooled sera were prepared by mixing equal amount of each 10 individual serum from the original samples. IBV antibody titers were measured by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. The least squares regression analysis was performed to construct equation between pooled and mean individual titers. To determine whether the flock is infected 4 arbitrary criteria were used: detection of at least 1 chicken with HI titer ${\ge}$ 9 (criterion 1), detection of at least 2 samples with HI titer ${\ge}$9 (criterion 2), detection of at least 1 sample with HI titer ${\ge}$ 10 (criterion 3), and filially detection of at least 1 sample with HI titer ${\ge}$ 11 (criterion 4). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to examine the cut-off points of pooled titers showing optimal diagnostic accuracy. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivities (Se), specificities (Sp), and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were calculated. The regression equation between pooled titers (pool) and mean individual titers (mean) was: $pool= 1.2498+0.8952{\times}mean$, with coefficient of determination of 87% (p< 0.0001). The optimal cut-off points of pooled titers were titer 8 for criterion 1 (AUC=0.975, Se=0.883, Sp=0.959, PPV=0.985, NPV=0.728), titer 8 for criterion 2 (AUC=0.969, Se=0.954, Sp=0.855, PPV=0.926, NPV=0.907), titer 9 for criterion 3 (AUC=0.970, Se=0.836, Sp=0.967, PPV=0.978, NPV=0.772), and titer 9 for criterion 4 (AUC= 0.946, Se=0.928, Sp=0.843, PPV=0.857, NPV=0.921). The difference of 'prevalence estimated by individual and pooled sample showed a minimum of 2% for criteria 2 and a maximum of 9.1:% for criteria 3. These results indicate that the use of pooled sera in HI test for screening IBV infection in laying hen flocks is considered as a cost-effective method of testing large numbers of samples with high diagnostic accuracy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10961-10966
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• 2015

Background: Minor cervical cytologic abnormalities include atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). Approximately 10-20% of women with minor cytologic abnormalities have histologic high-grade squamous intraepithelial or worse lesions (HSIL+). In Thailand, women with minor cytologic abnormalities have a relatively high risk of cervical cancer, and referral for colposcopy has been suggested. A triage test is useful in the selection of women at risk for histologic HSIL+ to reduce the colposcopy burden. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of high-risk HPV DNA test in triage of women with minor cytologic abnormalities in northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: All women with ASC-US/LSIL cytology who were referred to our colposcopy clinic from October 2010 to February 2014 were included. HPV DNA testing was performed using Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2). All patients received colposcopic examination. Accuracy values of HC2 in predicting the presence of histologic HSIL+ were calculated. Results: There were 238 women in this study (121 ASC-US and 117 LSIL). The HC2 positivity rate was significantly higher in the LSIL group than in ASC-US group (74.8% versus 41.0%, p<0.001). Histologic HSIL+ was detected in 9 women (7.4%) in the ASC-US group and 16 women (13.7%) in the LSIL group (p=0.141). There was no histologic HSIL+ detected among HC2-negative cases (sensitivity and negative predictive value of 100%). The performance of HC2 triage was highest among women aged >50 years with ASC-US cytology. An increase in the cut-off threshold for positive HC2 resulted in a substantial decrease of sensitivity and negative predictive value. Conclusions: HPV DNA testing with HC2 shows very high sensitivity and negative predictive value in triage of women with minor cervical cytologic abnormalities in northern Thailand. An increase of the cut-off threshold for HC2 triage is not recommended in this region.