• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1861-1864
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• 2016

Although early diagnosis of thyroid nodule type is very important, the diagnostic accuracy of standard tests is a challenging issue. We here aimed to find an optimal combination of factors to improve diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid nodules before surgery. In a prospective study from 2008 to 2012, 345 patients referred for thyroidectomy were enrolled. The sample size was split into a training set and testing set as a ratio of 7:3. The former was used for estimation and variable selection and obtaining a linear combination of factors. We utilized smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) logistic regression to achieve the sparse optimal combination of factors. To evaluate the performance of the estimated model in the testing set, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized. The mean age of the examined patients (66 male and 279 female) was $40.9{\pm}13.4years$ (range 15- 90 years). Some 54.8% of the patients (24.3% male and 75.7% female) had benign and 45.2% (14% male and 86% female) malignant thyroid nodules. In addition to maximum diameters of nodules and lobes, their volumes were considered as related factors for malignancy prediction (a total of 16 factors). However, the SCAD method estimated the coefficients of 8 factors to be zero and eliminated them from the model. Hence a sparse model which combined the effects of 8 factors to distinguish malignant from benign thyroid nodules was generated. An optimal cut off point of the ROC curve for our estimated model was obtained (p=0.44) and the area under the curve (AUC) was equal to 77% (95% CI: 68%-85%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values for this model were 70%, 72%, 71% and 76%, respectively. An increase of 10 percent and a greater accuracy rate in early diagnosis of thyroid nodule type by statistical methods (SCAD and ANN methods) compared with the results of FNA testing revealed that the statistical modeling methods are helpful in disease diagnosis. In addition, the factor ranking offered by these methods is valuable in the clinical context.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2153-2155
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• 2012

Objective: This study was to assess liver involvement in multiple myeloma with the aid of liver function tests. Materials and Methods: A hospital based retrospective study was undertaken using data retrieved of multiple myeloma from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of the Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between $1^{st}$ January, 2007 and $28^{th}$ February, 2012. We collected biomarkers of liver profiles including bilirubin (Total, Direct and Indirect), total protein, albumin, AG ratio, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, ${\gamma}GT$, LDH, ferritin, renal profile and hematological profile. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software. Results: Out of 37 cases of multiple myeloma, serum level of AST, ALT, ALP, ${\gamma}GT$ and LDH were increased above the cut-off point in 22 (59.5%), 24 (64.86%), 13 (35.13%), 9 (24.3%) and 11 (29.7%) respectively. The mean values of AST ($65.5{\pm}28.18$ U/L), ALT ($68.37{\pm}29.74$ U/L), ALP ($328.0{\pm}148.4$ U/L), ${\gamma}GT$ ($44.5{\pm}29.6$ U/L) and LDH ($361.7{\pm}116.5$ U/L), total protein ($9.79{\pm}1.03$ gm/dl) were significantly increased when compared with controls. In contrast, albumin ($3.68{\pm}0.43$ gm/dl) and the AG ratio ($0.62{\pm}0.15$) were significantly decreased. Similarly, anemia, hyperuricemia, azotemia, hypercalcaemia and Bence Jones proteinuria were found in 30 (78.9%), 27 (71.1%), 19 (51.5%), 15 (39.5%) and 16 (42.1%) respectively, in cases of multiple myeloma. Conclusions: While clinical manifestation of liver disease among the multiple myeloma was not common, abnormalities in liver function were characteristic.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.753-757
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• 2013

Objective: To evaluate the relationships between lymph node ratio (LNR, the ratio of positive lymph nodes in excised axillary lymph nodes) and disease-free survival (DFS) by comparing with traditional absolute positive lymph node number (pN classification) for prediction of breast cancer (BC) progrnosis. Methods and Patients: We retrospectively reviewed patients who received comprehensive therapy in Department of Breast Surgery, Hubei Cancer Hospital, China from Jan 2002 to Dec 2006 (Group A), and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China from Jun 2008 to May 2012 (Group B). Patients were allocated to low-risk (${\leq}0.20$), intermediate-risk (> 0.20 but ${\leq}0.65$), high-risk (>0.65) groups by LNR. The primary endpoint was 5-DFS. Results: A total of 294 patients were included in our study. LNR was verified as a negative prognostic factor for DFS (P=0.002 in Group A, P<0.0001 in Group B). Then we found the effects of pN and LNR delamination on disease-free survival (DFS) had statistical significance (P=0.012 for pN and P=0.031 for LNR stratification in Group A, both of them P<0.001 in Group B). Compared to pN staging, LNR staging displayed superior performance in prognosis, the adjusted hazard ratio of recurrence being 2.07 (95%CI, 1.07 to 4.0) for intermediate risk group (P=0.030) and 2.44 (95%CI, 1.21 to 4.92) for high risk group (P=0.013) in Group A. Conclusions: LNR stratification proved an adverse prognostic factor of DFS in lymph nodes positive invasive BC using cut-off values 0.20 and 0.65, and was more predictive than traditional pN classification for 5-DFS.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1047-1053
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• 2008

This study was to evaluate the optimum conditions for chemical coagulation to remove color from the effluent of a piggery wastewater treatment process. The DOC concentration in the effluent was about 227.3 mg/L, color was 2,430 CU, turbidity was 22.1 NTU, and UV$_{254}$-absorbance was 3.7 cm$^{-1}$. The fractions of hydrophobic, transphilic, and hydrophilic substance of the effluent was about 55.3%, 17.4%, 27.3% respectively. Also, molecular weight cut-off(MWCO) of below 0.5 K, 0.5 K to 1 K, 1 K to 10 K, 10 K to 30 K, and over 30 K were 74.2%, 7.3%, 5.5%, 7.1%, and 5.9% respectively. SCD(streaming current Detector) was used to find out the optimum pH values and coagulant dosages. The optimum dosages and pH of Al$^{3+}$ were 5.84 mM and 5.3, while those of Fe$^{3+}$ were 9.25 mM and 5.0, respectively. At optimum conditions of coagulation, color removal efficiencies for aluminium sulfate and ferric chloride were as high as 91.9 and 98.7%, respectively. Chemical coagulation showed good performance to remove color from on biologically treated piggery wastewater.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1146-1151
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• 1998

To prevent deterioration of the jujube wine quality by using heat sterilization while commercial production, ultrafiltration and microfiltration were applied. The permeate flux and physicochemical properties of jujube wine determined by MF and UF membrane ($0.2\;{\mu}m$ pore size and 50 K dalton cut off) were investigated. The permeate flux increasing caused the increased operating pressure. The Hunter L value of jujube wine treated MF and UF was increased and that of b value was decreased. The turbidity of jujube wine treated MF and UF was largely decreased. And the values of pH, ethanol, total acid and soluble solid were decreased or were at the same level comparing with untreated jujube wine. Retention percentage of sugar and organic acid was more than 80% and was not influenced by operating pressure. Results of sensory evaluation indicated that the color of UF was superior to un-treatment and commercial ones. And the flavor and taste were not significantly different with untreated jujube wine. The quality deterioration of commercial jujube wine could be improved by MF and UF. According to the sensory evaluation, there was also not difference between MF and UF for preference test. Therefore, the quality of jujube wine could be improved by MF having better separation yield efficiency than UF.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.386-392
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• 2003

Physicochemical and microbiological changes of grape wine fermented and aged at 25 and $15^{\circ}C$ for 2 and 14 weeks, respectively, were investigated. Viable bacterial cell number, $3.3{\times}10^2\;CFU/mL$ at the beginning of fermentation, increased to $2.3{\times}10^6\;CFU/mL$ after 2 weeks, then decreased to $1.9{\times}10^3\;CFU/mL$ after 14 weeks. Viable yeast cell number increased from $2.8{\times}10^2\;to\;2.2{\times}10^7\;CFU/mL$ during fermentation, then decreased to $1.6{\times}10^4\;CFU/mL$ after aging. Turbidity, pH, total sugar content, reducing sugar content, and solid content of grape wine decreased during fermentation, whereas acidity and alcohol content increased to 0.64 and 8.4%, respectively. Most physicochemical properties did not change significantly during aging. When grape wine was filtered through $0.45-{\mu}m$ nitrocellulose membrane, followed by various ultrafiltration membranes with different molecular weight cut-off values, Biomax 100K membrane with $100\;L/m^2/hr$ (LMH) of initial flux was chosen for ultrafiltration process. These membrane filtration treatments resulted in complete removal of microorganisms and decreases in turbidity, reducing sugar, and solid content. Physicochemical properties of wine did not change, and no microorganisms were found during storage at $30^{\circ}C$ for 12 weeks.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.72-76
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• 2003

Ultrafiltration (UF) tests performed on traditional soy sauce (kanjang) using UF flat membrane test cell unit with thin film laminar flow similar to the spiral type membrane module in batch operations revealed reduction in permeate flux is proportional to the logarithm values of volume reduction ratio of the retentate kanjang at different feed rate of kanjang. Feed rate of 1.5 L/min was found to be adequate for long-term UF operation of kanjang using the test unit attached with MW cut-off size of 200,000 dalton polyoleffin plastic membrane in batch operation with the least concentration polarization. The higher the feed rate of kanjang, the lower the permeability of total nitrogen and NaCl, resulting in lower optical density at 500 nm and lower permeability of minerals such as Cu, Mn, and Mg. Microbial cells were completely rejected regardless of the feed rate, whereas most free amino acids were not.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-46
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• 2020

This paper presents ordinal probit semiparametric regression models using Bayesian Spectral Analysis Regression (BSAR) method. Ordinal probit regression is a way of modeling ordinal responses - usually more than two categories - by connecting the probability of falling into each category explained by a combination of available covariates using a probit (an inverse function of normal cumulative distribution function) link. The Bayesian probit model facilitates posterior sampling by bringing a latent variable following normal distribution, therefore, the responses are categorized by the cut-off points according to values of latent variables. In this paper, we extend the latent variable approach to a semiparametric model for the Bayesian ordinal probit regression with nonparametric functions using a spectral representation of Gaussian processes based BSAR method. The latent variable is decomposed into a parametric component and a nonparametric component with or without a shape constraint for modeling ordinal responses and predicting outcomes more flexibly. We illustrate the proposed methods with simulation studies in comparison with existing methods and real data analysis applied to a Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016 for investigating nonparametric relationship between smoking behavior and coffee intake.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 1983

Dielectric properties of sardine-starch paste with moisture content of 4 to $13\%$ were investigated as functions of moisture and frequency. And the effects of the levels of fat and starch of the mixtures upon dielectric permittivity, critical moisture, were also mentioned. In addition, a theoretical prediction of frequency dependence of dielectric constant which was computed by the lumped circuit of two layer condenser model was evaluated. For the preparation of sardine-starch paste, comminuted sardine meat was washed thoroughly several times in chilled water by soaking and decanting, and finally centrifuged. This procedure was extended longer to provide a low fat sample. The centrifuged meat was mixed with adequate amounts of starch and salt, and ground for 25 minutes in a stone mortar, moulded in the form of disk with 7cm diameter and 1.2cm thickness and then freeze dried. Dried meat disks were cut off for the size of 5.5cm diameter and 1.0cm thickness and their moisture contents were controlled in humidified desiccators with saturated solutions. Dielectric constants of sardine-starch paste tended to decrease frequency was increased showing a critical charge at the moisture called critical moisture content. In case of the sample with $20\%$ starch and $2\%$ salt an average complex permittivity($\epsilon^{\ast}$) at 7 to $8\%$ morsture as the critical moisture content was presented; $\epsilon^{\ast}$=3.37+j 0.39 at 0.1 MHz, $\epsilon^{\ast}$=2.54+j 0.19 at 15 MHz, and $\epsilon^{\ast}$=2.15+j 0.08 at 1.8 GHz, respectively. The theoretically obtained complex permittivity values from the two layer condoner model were in close agreement with these actual measurements under the same conditions, that appeared as $\epsilon^{\ast}$=2.53+i 0.09 at 0.1 MHz and $\epsilon^{\ast}$=2.28+j 0.06 at 15 MHz, respectively. The fast level of the mixture also revealed an influence on dielectric property that defatted neat with $1.0\%$ fat showed a higher hc and $\epsilon^{\ast}$ value than the meat with $4.8\%$ fat. Complex permittivity being related to the moisture level remained nearly unchanged or slightly changed at the moisture range of 4 to $8\%$ but was dispersed widely at higher moisture contents.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.159-165
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• 2019

Purpose: This study investigated the recurrence rate after performing hallux valgus correction using scarf and Akin osteotomy, and also identified the correlation and cut-off values of both the preoperative and postoperative radiographic parameters as risk factors for the recurrence of hallux valgus. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 87 hallux valgus patients (122 feet) who received scarf and Akin osteotomy from January 2007 to August 2015. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores. The radiological outcome measures included the hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), and distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA) as determined on the serial weight bearing radiographs. Recurrence was defined as more than 20 degrees of HVA noted on the final follow-up radiograph. Those radiological factors associated with recurrence were evaluated and analyzed. Results: The mean follow-up duration was 20.6 months (12.0~46.5 months) and the mean age was 44 years (13~80 years). The VAS and AOFAS scores were significantly improved at the time of the final follow-up (7.0 to 2.0, p<0.001; 78.0 to 92.0, p<0.001; respectively). Significant corrections in the HVA, IMA, and DMAA were obtained (p<0.001). Eleven (9.0%: 11/122) cases experienced recurrent hallux valgus deformity. The postoperative IMA, DMAA and HVA showed significant moderate to strong correlation with HVA at the final follow-up (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.44, 0.70, and 0.88, respectively; p<0.001). Postoperative HVA>16.7 degrees, postoperative DMAA>13.9 degrees, and postoperative IMA>8.2 degrees showed statistically significant correlation with radiological recurrence at the last follow-up, and the odds ratio of each variable was high in order. Conclusion: Our radiographic results indicated that postoperative HVA>16.7 degrees, postoperative DMAA>13.9 degrees, and postoperative IMA>8.2 degrees can be risk factors for hallux valgus recurrence. These risk factors may be helpful for modifying surgical procedures and preventing the recurrence of hallux valgus.