• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 1997

The development of preneoplastic and neoplastic squamous cell proliferations of body sites such as the skin, female lower genital tract, and larynx is strongly associated with specific types of human papillomaviruses (HPV). Antitumor $CD^{8+}$ cells recognize peptide antigens presented on the surface of tumor cells by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. The MHC class I molecule is a heterodimer composed of an integral membrane glycoprotein designated the alpha chain and a noncovalently associated, soluble protein called beta-2-microglobulin( $\beta$ -2-m). Loss of $\beta$-2-m generally eliminates antigen recognition by antitumor $CD^{8+}$ T cells. We evaluated the expression of $\beta$-2-m as a potential means of tumor escape from immune recognition and the presence of HPV DNA as a cause of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Laryngeal SCCs (n=39) were analyzed for MHC class I expression by immunohistochemistry and for presence of HPV by in situ hybridization technique. The results were as follows : 1) HPV DNA was detected in 10 (25.64%) out of 39 cases in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. 2) MHC class I down-regulation (heterogenous and negative expression) in HPV positive lesions was higher than HPV negative lesions. 3) The expression of MHC class I was related to cellular differentiation regardless of T-stage and nodal involvement. In conclusion, HPV was thought to be the etiological factor of SCC of larynx, and we found that the down-regulation of MHC class I was a common phenomenon In laryngeal SCC and may provide a way for tumor cells to escape from immune surveillance.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2016

Objectives : As the prevalence of elderly depression increases, it becomes urgent problem to provide preventive and management measures. But in practice, it is difficult to detect depression in early stage. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors and depression in elderly welfare facility users in a city. Methods : In this research, the severity of depression and sociodemographic factors(gender, age, education, co-morbid disease, housing type, number of children, number of family members living with the subjects) was evaluated through PHQ-9 and interview. Using the data, the associations of depression and sociodemographic factors were analyzed. Based on PHQ-9 depression cut-off value(10 points), the subjects were divided into two groups, and the difference of the variables between groups were analyzed statistically. Results : 'Own house'(YES/NO), education(less than elementary school graduation/more than elementary school graduation) were sociodemographic factors which showed significance difference in mean PHQ-9 scores. Group with Over PHQ-9 10 points showed less 'having their own house' and less education level than group with less PHQ-9 10 points. Conclusions : With this research, it is expected that the risk factors for the elderly depression can be understood and the measures for early detection and invention of elderly depression would be provided.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.493-503
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• 2019

This study presents a new method of estimating the size distribution of river bed gravel through image processing. The analysis was done in two steps; first the individual grain images were analyzed and then the grain particle segmentation of river-bed images were processed. In the first part of the analysis, the relationships (long axes, intermediate axes and projective areas) between grain features from images and those measured were compared. For this analysis, 240 gravel particles were collected at three river stations. All particles were measured with vernier calipers and weighed with scales. The measured data showed that river gravel had shape factors of 0.514~0.585. It was found that the weight of gravel had a stronger correlation with the projective areas than the long or intermediate axes. Using these results, we were able to establish an area-weight formula. In the second step, we calculated the projective areas of the river-bed gravels by detecting their edge lines using the ImageJ program. The projective areas of the gravels were converted to the grain-size distribution using the formula previously established. The proposed method was applied to 3 small- and medium- sized rivers in Korea. Comparisons of the analyzed size distributions with those measured showed that the proposed method could estimate the median diameter within a fair error range. However, the estimated distributions showed a slight deviation from the observed value, which is something that needs improvement in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.26-49
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability of the solar radiation model and discuss its applicability to the urban area of Seoul for summer heat stress mitigation. We extended the study area closer to the city scale and enhanced the spatial resolution sufficiently to determine pedestrian-level urban radiance. The domain was a $4km^2$ residential area with high-rise building sites. Radiance modelling (SOLWEIG) was performed with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-based detailed geomorphological land cover shape. The radiance model was evaluated using surface energy balance (SEB) observations. The model showed the highest accuracy on a clear day in summer. When the mean radiation temperature (MRT) was simulated, the highest value was for a low-rise building area and road surface with a low shadow effect. On the other hand, for high-rise buildings and vegetated areas, the effect of shadows was large and showed a relatively low value of mean radiation temperature. The method proposed in this study exhibits high reliability for the management of heat stress in urban areas at pedestrian height. It is applicable for many urban micro-climate management functions related to natural and artificial urban settings; for example, when a new urban infrastructure is planned.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_3
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• pp.1351-1367
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• 2018

Image registration is an essential process for image fusion, change detection and time series analysis using multi-sensor images. For this purpose, we need to detect accurately the difference of scale and rotation between the multi-sensor images with difference spatial resolution. In this paper, we propose a new feature matching method using variable circular template for image registration between multi-resolution images. The proposed method creates a circular template at the center of a feature point in a coarse scale image and also a variable circular template in a fine scale image, respectively. After changing the scale of the variable circular template, we rotate the variable circular template by each predefined angle and compute the mutual information between the two circular templates and then find the scale, the angle of rotation and the center location of the variable circular template, respectively, in fine scale image when the mutual information between the two circular templates is maximum. The proposed method was tested using Kompsat-2, Kompsat-3 and Kompsat-3A images with different spatial resolution. The experimental results showed that the error of scale factor, the error of rotation angle and the localization error of the control point were less than 0.004, $0.3^{\circ}$ and one pixel, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2019

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical problem worldwide. The pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa is due partly to the production of several cell-associated and extracellular virulence factors. This study examined the distribution of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance patterns of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) isolated from a tertiary hospital in Daejeon, Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method, and PCR and DNA sequencing were performed to determine for the presence of virulence genes. In addition, the sequence type (ST) of MDR P. aeruginosa was investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Among 32 CRPA isolates, 14 (43.8%) were MDR and the major ST was ST235 (10 isolates, 71.4%). All isolates were positive for the presence of virulence genes and the most prevalent virulence genes were toxA, plcN, and phzM (100%). All isolates carried at least eight or more different virulence genes and nine (28.1%) isolates had 15 virulence genes. The presence of the exoU gene was detected in 71.4% of the MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. These results indicate that the presence of the exoU gene can be a predictive marker for the persistence of MDR P. aeruginosa isolates.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2019

This study aimed to investigate the performance of the S-detect method in breast ultrasonography and to determine how to reduce unnecessary biopsy by comparing the results of the S-detect method and biopsy. Thirty patients who had undergone breast ultrasonography between August and October 2018 and were scheduled to undergo biopsy because of the presence of breast nodules were retrospectively analyzed. The McNemar test was performed to determine whether detection of a malignant breast mass significantly differed between the S-detect method and biopsy. The following results were obtained from the analysis of the S-detect method: sensitivity, 90.9%; specificity, 84.21%; validity, 86.66%; positive predictive value, 76.92%; and negative predictive value, 94.11%. Analysis of the degree of agreement between the S-detect method and biopsy revealed a kappa value as high as 0.724 (p < 0.05), exhibiting good agreement between the two methods. The S-detect method in breast ultrasonography is diagnostically valuable in terms of distinguishing between malignant and benign breast masses, and if used properly before breast biopsy, unnecessary biopsy can be reduced.

• Maritime Security
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.241-271
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• 2020

The military technology currently receiving the most attention is the hypersonic missile. hypersonic is faster than the speed of sound or Mach 5+. The vast majority of the ballistic missiles that it inspired achieved hypersonic speeds as they fell from the sky. Rather than speed, today's renewed attention to hypersonic weapons owes to developments that enable controlled flight. These new systems have two sub-varieties: hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles. Hypersonic weapons could challenge detection and defense due to their speed, maneuverability, and low altitude of flight. The fundamental question of this study is: 'What effect will the hypersonic missile have on the maritime strategy?' It is quite prudent to analyze and predict the impact of technology in the development stage on strategy in advance. However, strategy is essential because it affect future force construction. hypersonic missiles act as a limiting factor in securing sea control. The high speed and powerful destructive power of the hypersonic missile are not only difficult to intercept, but it also causes massive ship damage at a single shot. As a result, it is analyzed that the Securing sea control will be as difficult as the capacity of sea denial will be improved geographically and qualitatively. In addition, the concept of Fortress Fleet, which was criticized for its passive strategy in the past, could be reborn in a modern era. There are maritime power projection/defence, SLOC attack/defence in exploiting sea control. The effects of hypersonic missiles on exploiting sea control could be seen as both limiting and opportunity factors.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.551-561
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• 2021

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancers, such as papillary and follicular cancers, have a favorable prognosis. However, poorly differentiated thyroid cancers, such as medullary, squamous and anaplastic advanced thyroid cancers, are very aggressive and insensitive to radioiodine treatment. Thus, novel therapies that attenuate metastasis are urgently needed. We found that both PDGFC and PDGFRA are predominantly expressed in thyroid cancers and that the survival rate is significantly lower in patients with high PDGFRA expression. This finding indicates the important role of PDGF/PDGFR signaling in thyroid cancer development. Next, we established a SW579 squamous thyroid cancer cell line with 95.6% PDGFRA gene insertion and deletions (indels) through CRISPR/Cas9. Protein and invasion analysis showed a dramatic loss in EMT marker expression and metastatic ability. Furthermore, xenograft tumors derived from PDGFRA geneedited SW579 cells exhibited a minor decrease in tumor growth. However, distant lung metastasis was completely abolished upon PDGFRA gene editing, implying that PDGFRA could be an effective target to inhibit distant metastasis in advanced thyroid cancers. To translate this finding to the clinic, we used the most relevant multikinase inhibitor, imatinib, to inhibit PDGFRA signaling. The results showed that imatinib significantly suppressed cell growth, induced cell cycle arrest and cell death in SW579 cells. Our developed noninvasive apoptosis detection sensor (NIADS) indicated that imatinib induced cell apoptosis through caspase-3 activation. In conclusion, we believe that developing a specific and selective targeted therapy for PDGFRA would effectively suppress PDGFRA-mediated cancer aggressiveness in advanced thyroid cancers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.16-28
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• 2023

Lung adenocarcinoma accounts for about 40% of all lung cancers. With the recent development of gene profiling technology, studies on mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which are important for the development and growth of tumors, have been actively conducted. Companion diagnosis using next-generation sequencing helps improve survival with targeted therapy. In this study, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of non-small cell lung cancer patients were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining for detecting genetic mutations that induce lung adenocarcinoma in Koreans. Immunohistochemical staining was also performed to accurately classify lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Based on the results, next-generation sequencing was applied to analyze the types and patterns of genetic mutations, and the association with smoking was established as the most representative cause of lung cancer. Results of next-generation sequencing analysis confirmed the single nucleotide variations, copy number variations, and gene rearrangements. In order to validate the reliability of next-generation sequencing, we additionally performed the existing genetic testing methods (polymerase chain reaction-epidermal growth factor receptor, immunohistochemistry-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (D5F3), and fluorescence in situ hybridiation-receptor tyrosine kinase 1 tests) to confirm the concordance rates with the next-generation sequencing test results. This study demonstrates that next-generation sequencing of lung adenocarcinoma patients simultaneously identifies mutation.