• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.359-365
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• 2020

Developmental dysplasia of the hip broadly includes inadequate development of the hip joint involving the acetabulum or proximal femur, or both. Although ultrasonographic studies in neonates have greatly lowered the frequency of neglected or operatively treated cases, its sensitivity is less than desired. Hip dysplasia without subluxation is commonly diagnosed incidentally and strongly related to degenerative arthritis in females after the 4th decade. Hip dysplasia with subluxation shows symptoms through various periods, depending on its severity, especially for women with onset during pregnancy. A complete physical examination and early treatment for neonates are extremely important for obtaining satisfactory outcomes. To avoid underdiagnosis and to serve appropriate treatment on time, the authors recommend examining any suspicious hips in infants under two years of age. The study will discuss the diagnosis and primary treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.289-297
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• 2021

Purpose - This study analyzed the correlation between economic liberalization and foreign direct investment. The purpose of this study is to seek ways to attract foreign direct investment from developing countries. Design/methodology/approach - This study analysed with observations of 19 from 2000 to 2018 using a fixed effect model, a random effect model, and a two-way fixed effect model. Findings - First, it was found that economic liberalization had a positive effect on attracting foreign direct investment in the early stages of economic liberalization. Second, it was found that economic liberalization in the deepening stage of economic liberalization had a negative effect on attracting foreign direct investment. In general, it was found that the higher the level of economic liberalization in developing countries is not accompanied by innovative changes in the industrial structure, the higher the level of economic liberalization is likely to decrease the inducement of foreign direct investment due to negative factors such as an increase in labor costs. Overall, this study approved that Economic liberalization have a non-linear (inverted U-shape) relationship with the inflow of foreign direct investment. Research implications or Originality - First, this study attempted to expand the variables for the determinants of FDI by analyzing economic factors which is a determinent of FDI. Second, economic liberalization generally has a positive effect on foreign direct investment, but it proved that it does not have only positive effects as a factor of attracting foreign direct investment in developing countries. The advantage of low wages in ASEAN countries acts as a factor for foreign direct investment, but as the degree of economic liberalization increases, the environment such as government size, guarantee of property rights, international trade freedom, fiscal soundness, and regulations change positively. On the other hand, it can be suggested that if the industrial level is less, it may lead to a loss of comparative advantage and a decrease in investment.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2021

Background: In patients with total elbow arthroplasty (TEA), the soft-tissue around the elbow can be vulnerable to soft-tissue complications. This study aims to assess the outcomes after soft-tissue reconstruction following TEA. Methods: We retrospectively included nine adult patients who underwent soft-tissue reconstruction following TEA. Demographic data and disease characteristics were collected through medical chart reviews. Additionally, we contacted all four patients that were alive at the time of the study by phone to assess any current elbow complications. Local tissue rearrangement was used for soft-tissue reconstruction in six patients, and a pedicle flap was used in three patients. The median follow-up period was 1.3 years (range, 6 months-14.7 years). Results: Seven patients (78%) underwent reoperation. Four patients (44%) had a reoperation for soft-tissue complications, including dehiscence or nonhealing of infected wounds. Five patients (56%) had a reoperation for implant-related complications, including three infections and two peri-prosthetic fractures. At the final follow-ups, six patients (67%) achieved successful wound healing and two patients had continued wound healing issues, while two patients had an antibiotic spacer in situ and one patient underwent an above-the-elbow amputation. Conclusions: This study reports a complication rate of 78% for soft-tissue reconstructions after TEA. Successful soft-tissue healing was achieved in 67% of patients, but at the cost of multiple surgeries. Early definitive soft-tissue reconstruction could prove to be preferable to minor interventions such as irrigation, debridement, and local tissue advancement, or smaller soft-tissue reconstructions using local tissue rearrangement or a pedicled flap at a later stage.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.197-203
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• 2023

Background: The survival benefit of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITA) is well known; however, the role of BITA in concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR) and CABG has not been studied. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent concomitant AVR and CABG. Cases not using an internal thoracic artery and less than 2 bypass grafts were excluded. We enrolled 114 patients in this study. The mean follow-up duration was 61.5±43.5 months. Results: Forty patients (35.1%) underwent CABG with a single internal thoracic artery (SITA) and 74 patients (64.9%) underwent CABG with BITA. The preoperative clinical characteristics were not significantly different between the 2 groups, with the exception of a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the SITA group. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were not significantly higher in the BITA group than in the SITA group. In the univariable analysis, the survival of the BITA group was similar to that of the SITA group (p=0.157). Multivariable analysis showed that only mean age was a predictor of death (p=0.042), but using BITA was not an independent predictor (p=0.094). In low-risk patients whose preoperative ejection fraction was >45%, the survival of the BITA group was significantly better than that of the SITA group (p=0.043). Conclusion: BITA use in concomitant AVR and CABG showed no difference in mortality compared to using SITA. Although its impact on long-term survival was inconclusive, BITA use can be considered for low-risk patients.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.700-706
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• 2009

Bridges are vital components of any road network which demand crucial and timely decision-making for Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation (MR&R) activities. Bridge Management Systems (BMSs) as a decision support system (DSS), have been developed since the early 1990's to assist in the management of a large bridge network. Historical condition ratings obtained from biennial bridge inspections are major resources for predicting future bridge deteriorations via BMSs. Available historical condition ratings in most bridge agencies, however, are very limited, and thus posing a major barrier for obtaining reliable future structural performances. To alleviate this problem, the verified Backward Prediction Model (BPM) technique has been developed to help generate missing historical condition ratings. This is achieved through establishing the correlation between known condition ratings and such non-bridge factors as climate and environmental conditions, traffic volumes and population growth. Such correlations can then be used to obtain the bridge condition ratings of the missing years. With the help of these generated datasets, the currently available bridge deterioration model can be utilized to more reliably forecast future bridge conditions. In this paper, the prediction accuracy based on 4 and 9 BPM-generated historical condition ratings as input data are compared, using deterministic and stochastic bridge deterioration models. The comparison outcomes indicate that the prediction error decreases as more historical condition ratings obtained. This implies that the BPM can be utilised to generate unavailable historical data, which is crucial for bridge deterioration models to achieve more accurate prediction results. Nevertheless, there are considerable limitations in the existing bridge deterioration models. Thus, further research is essential to improve the prediction accuracy of bridge deterioration models.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.276-284
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• 2009

As an on-going research project, Zero Net Energy Test Home (ZNETH) project investigates effective approaches to achieve whole-house environmental and energy goals. The main research objectives are (1) to identify energy saving solutions for designs, materials, and construction methods for the ZNETH house and (2) to verify whether ZNETH house can produce more energy than the house uses by utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and energy analysis tools. The initial project analysis is conducted using building information modeling (BIM) and energy analysis tools. The BIM-driven research approach incorporates architectural and construction engineering methods for improving whole-building performance while minimizing increases in overall building cost. This paper discusses about advantages/disadvantages of using BIM integrated energy analysis, related interoperability issues between BIM software and energy analysis software, and results of energy analysis for ZNETH. Although this investigation is in its early stage, several dramatic outcomes have already been observed. Utilizing BIM for energy analysis is an obvious benefit because of the ease by which the 3D model is transferred, and the speed that an energy model can be analyzed and interpreted to improve design. The research will continue to use the ZNETH project as a testing bed for the integration of sustainable design into the BIM process.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.346-352
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• 2023

Background: A significant proportion of cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) patients require long-term ventilation, necessitating tracheostomy placement. The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term postoperative outcomes and complications associated with percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in CSICU patients. Methods: All patients undergoing PDT after cardiac, thoracic, or vascular operations in the CSICU between January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2021 were identified. They were evaluated for mortality, decannulation time, and complications including bleeding, infection, and need for surgical intervention. Multivariable regression models were used to identify predictors of early decannulation and the complication rate. Results: Ninety-three patients were identified for this study (70 [75.3%] male and 23 [24.7%] female). Furthermore, 18.3% of patients had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 21.5% had history of stroke, 7.5% had end-stage renal disease, 33.3% had diabetes, and 59.1% were current smokers. The mean time from PDT to decannulation was 39 days. Roughly one-fifth (20.4%) of patients were on dual antiplatelet therapy and 81.7% had anticoagulation restarted 8 hours post-tracheostomy. Eight complications were noted, including 5 instances of bleeding requiring packing and 1 case of mediastinitis. There were no significant predictors of decannulation prior to discharge. Only COPD was identified as a negative predictor of decannulation at any point in time (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.95; p=0.04). Conclusion: Percutaneous tracheostomy is a safe and viable alternative to surgical tracheostomy in cardiac surgery ICU patients. Patients who undergo PDT have a relatively short duration of tracheostomy and do not have major post-procedural complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Background: The optimal management strategy for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) remains debatable. This study compared early and late outcomes between direct surgical bypass and kissing stents for AIOD treatment. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data, including age, sex, risk factors, comorbidities, symptoms, TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) II classification, operation time, perioperative complications, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay, from a cohort of 46 patients treated for AIOD (24 with kissing stents and 22 with direct surgical bypass) at Pusan National University Hostpital from January 2007 to December 2016. The primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in both groups were compared. Results: The hospital stay (direct surgical bypass vs. kissing stents: 16.36±5.19 days vs. 9.08±10.88 days, p=0.007) and operation time (direct surgical bypass vs. kissing stents: 316.09±141.78 minutes vs. 99.54±37.95 minutes, p<0.001) were significantly shorter for kissing stents. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in the direct surgical bypass group were 95.5%, 95.5%, and 95.5%, respectively, at 1 year; 86.4%, 86.4%, and 95.5% at 3 years; and 77.3%, 77.3%, and 95.5% at 5 years. The primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates in the kissing stent group were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 100.0%, respectively, at 1 year; 95.8%, 95.8%, and 100.0% at 3 years; and 95.8%, 95.8%, and 100.0% at 5 years. Conclusion: Except for special cases wherein endovascular revascularization is difficult, kissing stents are more advantageous for TASC II C and D lesions.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.451-461
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• 2023

Purpose: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment for early gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, this is a time-consuming procedure requiring various devices. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ClearCut^TM Knife H-type, which is an integrated needle-tipped and insulated-tipped (IT) knife. Materials and Methods: Between July 2020 and September 2021, 99 patients with gastric epithelial neoplasms scheduled for ESD at three tertiary care hospitals were randomly assigned to H-knife (ClearCut^TM Knife H-type) or IT-knife (conventional IT knife) groups. Procedure times, therapeutic outcomes, and adverse events were analyzed. Results: A total of 98 patients (50 in the H-knife group and 48 in the IT-knife group) were analyzed. The median total procedure time was 11.9 minutes (range, 4.4-47.2 minutes) in the H-knife group and 12.7 minutes (range, 5.2-137.7 minutes) in the IT-knife group (P=0.209). Unlike the IT-knife group, which required additional devices in all cases, no additional devices were used in the H-knife group (P<0.001). En-bloc resection was performed for all lesions in both groups. The incidence of adverse events was not significantly different between groups (4.0% in the H-knife group vs. 8.3% in the IT-knife group; P=0.431). Conclusions: The newly developed hybrid device, the ClearCut^TM Knife H-type, had comparable efficacy to the conventional IT knife for gastric ESD.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.141-141
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• 2022

Drought is a global phenomenon that affects almost all landscapes and causes major damages. Due to non-linear nature of contributing factors, drought occurrence and its severity is characterized as stochastic in nature. Early warning of impending drought can aid in the development of drought mitigation strategies and measures. Thus, drought forecasting is crucial in the planning and management of water resource systems. The primary objective of this study is to make improvement is existing drought forecasting techniques. Therefore, we proposed an improved version of Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model (MD-SARIMA) for reliable drought forecasting with three years lead time. In this study, we selected four watersheds of Han River basin in South Korea to validate the performance of MD-SARIMA model. The meteorological data from 8 rain gauge stations were collected for the period 1973-2016 and converted into watershed scale using Thiessen's polygon method. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was employed to represent the meteorological drought at seasonal (3-month) time scale. The performance of MD-SARIMA model was compared with existing models such as Seasonal Naive Bayes (SNB) model, Exponential Smoothing (ES) model, Trigonometric seasonality, Box-Cox transformation, ARMA errors, Trend and Seasonal components (TBATS) model, and SARIMA model. The results showed that all the models were able to forecast drought, but the performance of MD-SARIMA was robust then other statistical models with Wilmott Index (WI) = 0.86, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) = 0.66, and Root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.80 for 36 months lead time forecast. The outcomes of this study indicated that the MD-SARIMA model can be utilized for drought forecasting.