• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.335-340
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• 2022

After detection of red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) at Gamman port in Busan in September of 2017, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has surveilled invasive ants in the area with a high invasion risk of ants. However, existing surveillance traps have several limitations such as captured ants could escape easily or it is very hard to set up the trap on a hard ground like concrete or asphalt. To solve these problems, we developed a new trap using multiple narrow tubes to attract ants to the inside of the trap and make it hard for ants to escape. The new trap can be easily set up under various conditions. The new trap has more than four times ant capturing efficacy compared to conventional pitfall traps. Our results confirmed that the new trap could prevent captured ants from escaping. We hope that this newly developed trap would contribute to the prevention of invasive ants.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.2-5
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• 2022

Human organs in the body have a complex structure, and in particular, the small intestine is about 7m long, so endoscopy is not easy and the risk of endoscopy is high. Currently, the test is performed with a capsule endoscope, and the test time is very long. The doctor connects the removed storage device to the computer to store the patient's capsule endoscope image and reads it using a program, but the capsule endoscope test results in a long image length, which takes a lot of time to read. In addition, in the case of the small intestine, there are many curves due to villi, so the occlusion area or light and shade of the image are clearly visible during the examination, and there may be cases where lesions and abnormal signs are missed during the examination. In this paper, we provide a method of assisting small intestine capsule endoscopic lesion examination using artificial neural networks to shorten the doctor's image reading time and improve diagnostic reliability.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1362-1369
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• 2005

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the plasma level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(pro-BNP) and several known risk factors influencing outcomes after Fontan operations, and to assess whether pro-BNP levels can be used as predictive risk factors in Fontan operations. Methods : Plasma pro-BNP concentrations were measured in 35 patients with complex cardiac anomalies before catheterization. Cardiac catheterization was performed in all subjects. Mean right atrium pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure(PAP), and ventricular end-diastolic pressure(EDP) were obtained. Cardiac output and pulmonary vascular resistance were calculated by Fick method. Results : Plasma pro-BNP levels exhibited statistically significant positive correlations with mean PAP(r=0.70, P<0.001), pulmonary vascular resistance(r=0.57, P<0.001), RVEDP(r=0.63, P<0.001), LVEDP(r=0.74, P<0.001), and cardiothoracic ratio(r=0.71, P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve using pro-BNP level to differentiate risk groups in Fontan operations was high : 0.868(95 percent CI, 0.712-1.023, P<0.01). The cutoff value of pro-BNP concentrations for the detection of risk groups in Fontan operations was determined to be 332.4 pg/mL(sensitivity 83.3 percent, specificity 82.7 percent). Conclusion : These data suggest that plasma pro-BNP levels may be used as a predictive risk factor in Fontan operations, and as a guide to determine the mode of therapy during follow-up after Fontan operations.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.2 s.48
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• pp.145-152
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• 2006

Industry development caused numerical and quantitative increase of noxious chemical substances that contain risk assessment in water resources. For use of efficient water resources a pre-treatment of contaminant source which is flowed in water resources is recognized in essential process. Therefore, the discharged water quality from discharged company began to control contaminant by total amount of pollutant in domestic. However, to estimate closely chemical substances it is not proved up to now, monitoring is very important. This study achieved a monitoring of micro noxious chemical substance by fiber and chemistry industrial wastewater inflow to examine risk assessment of the water system of Nakdong river. Chloroform was measured highest among volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that the results of water quality of influent and effluent are detected from 7 companies of study area. The other side, because measured value of detected chloroform is indefinite detection level in the same company, it is difficulty in management of water quality. However it may not be much effects of the water system of Nakdong river because these company's effluent is high treatment efficiency of chloroform (more than 88%) in sewage treatment plant. On the other hand, in the investigated results for the European Union specified priority substance that is detected to relationship influent and effluent from fiber/chemistry associated industries, these substances were not detected and domestic data was hardly referred. Therefore, data construction of continuous monitoring about this water quality may have to be achieved certainly to utilize as country policy.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2012

This study was conducted to monitor 284 pesticides residue level in 2,914 commercial agricultural products in the northern area of Seoul in 2011 by the multi class pesticide multiresidue analysis methods in Korea Food Code using GC, HPLC, GC-MSD and, LC-MSD. The detection rate of pesticide residues were 14.8% (431/2,914). The order of agricultural products in which the pesticide residues were detected was perilla leaves 40.0% (28/70), chamnamul 35.5% (11/31), amaranth 30.0% (3/10) and spinach 27.7% (38/137) etc. The percentage of products that exceeded the MRLs (maximum residue limits) were 1.0% (31/431). Those products that exceeded MRLs were ginseng (6), perilla leaves (4), leek (4), welsh onion (3) and sedeum (3) etc. The 59 kinds of the pesticides were detected on this study, 21 pesticides of them were detected over MRLs. Detection rate of fungicides (56.4%) was higher than that of insecticides (42.1%). And procymidone was detected with considerable high frequency. Additionally, residual residual violates pesticides were in the order of tolclofos-methyl, endosulfan, dimethomorph, diniconazole and fludioxonil. According to the agricultural marketing channels, detection and excess rate of them were monitored. Detection and excess rate of samples circulated in agricultural traditional market were highest. The estimated daily intakes (EDI) of the pesticides were compared to personal acceptable daily intakes (PADI) in order to risk assessment by food consumption. Diazinon in Korean cabbage showed the highest %ADI, 2.9901 and others showed below 3.0 %ADI. Overall, these results indicate that residue levels of pesticides detected were evaluated as safe.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7635-7638
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• 2013

Background: Sperm-associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) has been recently proposed as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis of several human tumors, including ovarian, cervical and breast cancers. Its clinical value remains to be clarified for endometrial cancer (EC). In this study, we investigated the utility of serum SPAG9 levels in diagnosis of EC and its association with important clinicopathological parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at a tertiary women's referral center in Ankara, Turkey. Preoperative serum samples were collected from patients surgically treated for endometrial cancer between June 2012-April 2013. Similar aged women with a biopsy proven benign endometrium were used as controls. Serum SPAG9 levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and assessed for links with clinicopathological factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess power of SPAG9 levels for EC prediction. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 63 women with EC and 27 with benign endometrium were included in the study. Mean age in the EC group was $58.7{\pm}1.1$. Median SPAG9 levels in the EC and control groups were 18.3 (range, 12.7-53.8) and 14.1 (range, 4.3-65.3), respectively (p<0.001). A cut-off value of 17 ng/ml for SPAG9 predicted presence of malignant endometrium with 74% sensitivity and 83% specificity [Area under curve (AUC)=0.82, p<0.001]. SPAG9 levels did not demonstrate any significant association with histological type, FIGO stage, tumor grade, size, myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, cervical involvement, adnexal involvement, peritoneal cytology or lymph node status (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Testing for SPAG9 may be useful for early detection of EC in asymptomatic high-risk women. Its role in post-treatment follow-up and early detection of recurrence should be assessed in future trials.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1657-1663
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• 2015

Background: Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most important step in successful treatment. However, it is usually rare due to the lack of a highly sensitive specific biomarker so that the HCC is usually fatal within few months after diagnosis. The aim of this work was to study the role of plasma nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) and serum peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3) as diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of HCC in a high-risk population. Materials and Methods: Plasma nuclear factor kappa B level (NF-${\kappa}B$) and serum peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3) levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in addition to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in 72 cirrhotic patients, 64 patients with HCC and 29 healthy controls. Results: NF-${\kappa}B$ and PRDX3 were significantly elevated in the HCC group in relation to the others. Higher area under curve (AUC) of 0.854 (for PRDX3) and 0.825 (for NF-${\kappa}B$) with sensitivity of 86.3% and 84.4% and specificity of 75.8% and 75.4% respectively, were found compared to AUC of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (0.65) with sensitivity of 72.4% and specificity of 64.3%. Conclusions: NF-${\kappa}B$ and PRDX3 may serve as early and sensitive biomarkers for early detection of HCC facilitating improved management. The role of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) as a target for treatment of liver fibrosis and HCC must be widely evaluated.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.301-314
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• 1999

To evaluate the ischemic heart disease risk factors and analysis on the its relationship between risk factors and ischemic heart disease on EKG findings in a rural area, We conducted cross-sectional health screening test for 1304 persons aged over 30 years. Blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, BMI and Waist/hip ratio, smoking data and EKG data were collected. Hypertension was classified by the sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure and the cutpoints of hyperlipidemia was used National Cholesterol Education Program. The cutpoint of hyperglycemia was used National Diabetes Data Group and those for obese was 30%. The results obtained were as follows; 1. Prevalence of definitive hypertension was 41.2% in males and 41.6% in females. The prevalence of hypertension showed Increasing tendency according to age increase(p<0.05). 2. Prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 20.6% in males and 20.4% in female. In females prevalence of hyperlipidemia showed increasing tendency according to age increase(p<0.001). 3. Prevalence of obese was 23.4% in males and 28.8% in females. Upper body type was predominant in females, but lower body type was predominant in males. 4. Prevalence of hyperglycemia was 11.0% in males and 12.1% in females. The prevalence of hyperglycemia showed increasing tendency according to age increase(p<0.01). 5. The smoking rate was 63.7% in males and 2.6% in females. 6. On the EKG findings, the prevalence of myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction was 6.7% in males and 7.5% in females. 7. The prevalence of Ischemic heart disease was higher in hypertension than normal in females and higher in obese than normal in males. In males and females the prevalence of ischemic heart disease was higher in hyperglycemia than normal and higher in upper body type than lower body type. But there is no statistical association among them.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2013

The recycling of coal bottom ash generated from coal power plants in Korea has been limited due to heterogenous characteristics of the materials. The most common management option for the ash is disposal in landfills (i.e. ash pond) near ocean. The presence of large coarse and fine materials in the ash has prompted the desire to beneficially use it in an application such as fill materials. Prior to reuse application as fill materials, the potential risks to the environment must be assessed with regard to the impacts. In this study, a total of nine test cells with bottom ash samples collected from pretreated bottom ash piles and coal ash pond in a coal-fired power plant were constructed and operated under the field conditions to evaluate the leachability over a period of 210 days. Leachate samples from the test cells were analyzed for a number of chemical parameters (e.g., pH, salinity, electrical conductance, anions, and metals). The concentrations of chemicals detected in the leachate were compared to appropriate standards (drinking water standard) with dilution attenuation factor, if possible, to assess potential leaching risks to the surrounding area. Based on the leachate analysis, most of the samples showed slightly high pH values for the coal ash contained test cells, and contained several ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate in relatively large quantities. Three elements (aluminum, boron, and barium) were commonly detected above their respective detection limits in a number of leachate samples, especially in the early leaching period of time. The results of the test cell study indicate that the pollutants in the leachate from the coal ash test cells were not of a major concern in terms of leaching risk to surface water and groundwater under field conditions as fill materials. However, care must be taken in extending these results to actual applications because the results presented in this study are based on the limited field test settings and time frame. Structural characteristics and analysis for coal bottom ash may be warranted to apply the materials to actual field conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.483-487
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• 2012

In 1895, the discovered X-ray is used for not only in this field of medicine wide but also field. The detection of radiation after, people realized the risk of the radiation exposured recommended the principle about the protection of radiation by the part of the effort for lowering the radiation exposure. In this recommendation, all unnecessary radiation exposure have to be prevented by All doses include the protection of radiation, general idea of applicable two kinds of that it has to low maintain. Presently, in the General X-ray room of the clinical, the lead (Pb) was used for the shielding, However, because it had the problem of the lead poisoning which is fatal in the human body, the alternatives was showed. and Among them, the material that it is the tungsten was presented. in this research, the absorbed spectrum according to the thickness in the continuous X-ray energy of the tungsten which is not harmful to the human body through the Monte Carlo simulation, tried to compare with the absorbed spectrum of the lead (Pb). The tungsten confirmed that simulation presumption than result lead in the whole domain that absorbed probability was higher and it is considered that tungsten shows the absorbed efficiency higher than the lead in particularly, 70 keV ~ 90 keV and the tungsten is more useful to the X-ray energy cover of the high energy diagnostic area.