• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2004

Background : The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score can help to assess organ failure over time and is useful to evaluate morbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of SOFA score as a descriptor of multiple organ failure in critically ill patients in a local unit hospital, and to compare with APACHE III scoring system. Methods : This study was carried out prospectively. A total of ninety one patients were included who admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital from May 1 through June 30, 2000. We excluded patients with a length of stay in the ICU less than 2 days following scheduled procedure, admissions for ECG monitoring, other department and patients transferred to other hospital. The SOFA score and APACHE III score were calculated on admission and then consecutively every 24 hours until ICU discharge. Results : The ICU mortality rate was 20%. The non-survivors had a higher SOFA score within 24 hours after admission. The number of organ failure was associated with increased mortality. The evaluation of a subgroup of 74 patients who stayed in the ICU for at least 48 hours showed that survivors and non-survivors followed a different course. In this subgroup, the total SOFA score increased in 81% of the non-survivors but in only 21% of the survivors. Conversely, the total SOFA score decreased in 48% of the survivors compared with 6% of the non-survivors. The non-survivors also had a higher APACHE III score within 24 hours and there was a correlation between SOFA score and APACHE III score. Conclusion : The SOFA score is a simple, but effective method to assess organ failure and to predict mortality in critically ill patients. Regular and repeated scoring enables patient's condition and clinical course to be monitored and better understood. The SOFA score well correlates with APACHE III score.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.587-597
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• 1995

Two distinct precious-metal mineralizations actively occur at central and southeastern Korea which display consistent relationships among geologic, geochemical and genetic environments. A large number of preciousmetal vein deposits in the central Korea occur in or near Mesozoic granite batholiths elongated in a NE-SW direction. Whereas, gold and/or silver deposits in the southeastern Korea occur within Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary rocks. However, most of the precious-metal deposits in the southeastern Korea show characteristics of the silver-rich deposits than the gold-rich deposits in the central Korea. Two epochs of main igneous activities are recognized: a) Jurassic Daebo igneous activity between 121 and 183 Ma, and b) Cretaceous Bulgugsa igneous activity between 60 and 110 Ma. Precious-metal mineralization took place between 158 and 71 Ma, coinciding with portions of the two magmatic activities. Contrasts in the style of mineralization, together with radiometric age data and differences in geologic settings reflect the genetically variable natures of hydrothermal activities from middle Jurassic to late Cretaceous time. The compilation and re-evaluation of these data suggest that the genetic types of hydrothermal precious-metal vein deposits in the central and southeastern Korea varied with time. The Jurassic and early Cretaceous mineralizations are characterized by the Au-dominant type, but tend to change to the Au-Ag and/or Ag-dominant types at late Cretaceous. The Jurassic Au-dominant deposits commonly show several characteristics; prominent associations with pegmatites, simple massive vein morphologies, high fmeness values in ore-concentrating parts, and a distinctively simple ore mineralogy such as Fe-rich sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, Au-rich electrum, pyrrhotite and/or pyrite. The Cretaceous precious-metal deposits are generally characterized by some- features such as complex vein morphologies, low to medium fmeness values in the ore concentrates, and abundance of ore minerals including Ag sulfosalts, Ag sulfides, Ag tellurides and native silver. Mineralogical and fluid inclusion studies indicate that the Jurassic Au-dominant deposits in the central area were formed at the high temperature (about $300^{\circ}$ to $500^{\circ}C$) and pressure (about 4 to 5 kbars), whereas mineralizations of the Cretaceous Au-Ag and Ag-dominant deposits were occurred at the low temperature (about $200^{\circ}$ to $350^{\circ}C$) and pressure (<0.5 kbars) from the ore fluids containing more amounts of less-evolved meteoric waters.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.409-419
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish an efficient screening method for watermelon plants resistant to Fusarium wilt (FW), which is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon). An HA isolate was prepared from a wilted watermelon plant in Haman-gun and identified as F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum based on morphological characteristics, molecular analyses of ITS (internal transcribed spacer) and TEF (translation elongation factor $1{\alpha}$) sequences, and host specificity on cucurbits including watermelon, melon, oriental melon, and cucumber. The assay for disease response of watermelon differentials indicated that the HA isolate was race 0. Among seven liquid media tested, the highest amount of Fon spores was produced from V8-juice broth, which was selected as a medium for mass production of Fon. The disease assay for 21 watermelon and 11 watermelon-rootstock cultivars demonstrated that 20 watermelon cultivars except for 'Soknoranggul' were susceptible; 'Soknoranggul' was moderately resistant. All the tested rootstock cultivars were highly resistant to the HA isolate. The evaluation of disease development depending on various conditions suggested that an efficient screening method for FW resistance in watermelon plants is to dip the roots of 10-day-old seedlings in spore suspension of $1.0{\times}10^5-1.0{\times}10^6conidia{\cdot}mL^{-1}$ for 30 min., to transplant the seedlings to plastic pots with a fertilized soil, and then to cultivate the plants at $25^{\circ}C$ for 3 weeks.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.403-408
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• 2015

Color is one of the quality determining factors for pepper powder. To measure the color of pepper powder, several methods including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and ASTA-20 have been used. Among the methods, the ASTA-20 method is most widely used for color measurement of a large number of samples because of its simplicity and accuracy. However it requires time consuming preprocessing steps and generates chemical waste containing acetone. As an alternative, we developed a fast and simple method based on a visible/near infrared (Vis/NIR) hyperspectral method to measure the color of pepper powder. To evaluate correlation between the ASTA-20 and the visible/near infrared (Vis/NIR) hyperspectral methods, we first measured the color of a total of 488 pepper powder samples using the two methods. Then, a partial least squares (PLS) model was postulated using the color values of randomly selected 3 66 samples to predict ASTA values of unknown samples. When the ASTA values predicted by the PLS model were compared with those of the ASTA-20 method for 122 samples not used for model development, there was very high correlation between two methods ($R^2=0.88$) demonstrating reliability of Vis/NIR hyperspectral method. We believe that this simple and fast method is suitable for highthroughput screening of a large number of samples because this method does not require preprocessing steps required for the ASTA-20 method, and takes less than 30 min to measure the color of pepper powder.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.228-235
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• 2015

The efficiency and applicability of the solid phase extraction disk method in a ²²⁶Ra analysis were examined by the gamma ray spectrometer (GRS) method using a Marinelli beaker and the liquid scintillation counter (LSC) method for groundwater. The recovered ²²⁶Ra, which was filtered by the solid phase extraction disk, was analyzed using gamma ray spectrometer The disks, which were pretreated for caulking the daughter nuclide, were sealed with polyethylene film. Distilled water was used for the blank value of the ²²⁶Ra activity. The recovery values of ²¹⁴Bi and ²¹⁴Pb in the solid phase extraction disk, which used ²²⁶Ra standard material, were 80% (295.21 Kev) and 104% (351.92 Kev), respectively, which were higher than 75% determined by the LSC. The injection of nitrogen gas into the measuring chamber reduced the interference values by about 10%. The detection limits of the ²²⁶Ra activity in a blank sample of 5 L were 0.17~0.40 pCi/L after 80,000 seconds of measuring time. The relationship of the ²²⁶Ra activity in the solid phase extraction disk method and in the LSC method in seven groundwater samples showed a correlation coefficient value 0.987, which implies the applicability of the solid phase extraction disk method. The results showed that ²²⁶Ra activity in groundwater using the solid phase extraction disk method has the following benefits: simple pretreatment, time saving, high recovery values, a low detection limit, and so on. Compared with the LSC method and the GRS method using the Marinelli beaker for the ²²⁶Ra analysis, the solid phase extraction disk method could be useful in groundwater samples with low levels of activities of radionuclides because the method is not restricted by the volume of the sample.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.190-197
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• 2011

Currently, the dose distribution calculation used by commercial treatment planning systems (TPSs) for high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is derived from point and line source approximation method recommended by AAPM Task Group 43 (TG-43). However, the study of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is required in order to assess the accuracy of dose calculation around three-dimensional Ir-192 source. In this study, geometry factor was calculated using segmented sources integration method by dividing microSelectron HDR Ir-192 source into smaller parts. The Monte Carlo code (MCNPX 2.5.0) was used to calculate the dose rate $\dot{D}(r,\theta)$ at a point ($r,\theta$) away from a HDR Ir-192 source in spherical water phantom with 30 cm diameter. Finally, anisotropy function and radial dose function were calculated from obtained results. The obtained geometry factor was compared with that calculated from line source approximation. Similarly, obtained anisotropy function and radial dose function were compared with those derived from MCPT results by Williamson. The geometry factor calculated from segmented sources integration method and line source approximation was within 0.2% for $r{\geq}0.5$ cm and 1.33% for r=0.1 cm, respectively. The relative-root mean square error (R-RMSE) of anisotropy function obtained by this study and Williamson was 2.33% for r=0.25 cm and within 1% for r>0.5 cm, respectively. The R-RMSE of radial dose function was 0.46% at radial distance from 0.1 to 14.0 cm. The geometry factor acquired from segmented sources integration method and line source approximation was in good agreement for $r{\geq}0.1$ cm. However, application of segmented sources integration method seems to be valid, since this method using three-dimensional Ir-192 source provides more realistic geometry factor. The anisotropy function and radial dose function estimated from MCNPX in this study and MCPT by Williamson are in good agreement within uncertainty of Monte Carlo codes except at radial distance of r=0.25 cm. It is expected that Monte Carlo code used in this study could be applied to other sources utilized for brachytherapy.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 2007

Purpose : This study was performed to evaluate a new rapid diagnostic kit (BIOLINE $RSV^{TM}$; Standard Diagnostics Inc., Yongin, Korea), a lateral-flow immunoassay, in the detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from the nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) of children with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in comparison with other diagnostic methods. Methods : Three hundred and nineteen NPAs were selected from a large pool of NPAs that had been obtained from children with LRTIs. All specimens had already been tested for RSV by culture and immunofluorescent (IF) test, and had been kept frozen. Tests with BIOLINE $RSV^{TM}$ were performed at least twice. All who conducted the experiments or interpreted the test results were blinded to the results of both culture and IF tests. Results : One hundred seven (97.3%) of 110 specimens that were positive for RSV by both culture and IF test, 29 (87.9%) of 33 that were positive by IF test only, 20 (76.9%) of 26 that were positive by culture only, and 140 (93.3%) of 150 that were negative by both methods were negative for RSV by BIOLINE $RSV^{TM}$. By combining the above results, the following 5 diagnostic values of BIOLINE $RSV^{TM}$ were determined in comparison with viral culture or IF test; sensitivity, 92.3% (156/169, 95% confidence interval [CI], 87.1-97.5%); specificity, 93.3% (140/150, 95% CI, 88.4-98.2%); positive predictive value, 94.0% (156/166, 95% CI, 89.5-98.5%); negative predictive value, 91.5% (140/143, 95% CI, 86.0-97.0%); and agreement, 95.9% (306/319, 95% CI, 92.1-99.7%), respectively. Conclusion : This study revealed that BIOLINE $RSV^{TM}$ demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of RSV antigen from NPAs of children with LRTIs. Because of simple methods and quick results, this test may be useful for the diagnosis of RSV infection during the epidemic periods.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.267-271
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• 2013

Test bed studies with highly efficient amine $CO_2$ solvent (KoSol-4) developed by KEPCO research institute were performed. For the first time in Korea, evaluation of post-combustion $CO_2$ capture technology to capture 2 ton $CO_2$/day from a slipstream of the flue gas from a coal-fired power station was performed. Also the analysis of solvent regeneration energy was conducted to suggest the reliable performance data of the KoSol-4 solvent. For this purpose, we have tested 5 campaigns changing the operating conditions of the solvent flow rate and the stripper pressure. The overall results of these campaigns showed that the $CO_2$ removal rate met the technical guideline ($CO_2$ removal rate: 90%) suggested by IEA-GHG and that the regeneration energy of the KoSol-4 showed about 3.0~3.2 GJ/$tCO_2$ which was, compared to that of the commercial solvent MEA (Monoethanolamine), about 25% reduction of regeneration energy. Based on these results, we could confirm the good performance of the KoSol-4 solvent and the $CO_2$ capture process developed by KEPCO research institute. And also it was expected that the cost of $CO_2$ avoided could be reduced drastically if the KoSol-4 is applied to the commercial scale $CO_2$ capture plant.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.85-103
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• 2012

ISMP is a method of writing clearly the user requirements in the RFP(Request for Proposal) of the IS development projects. Unlike the conventional methods of RFP preparation that describe the user requirements of target systems in a rather superficial manner, ISMP systematically identifies the businesses needs and the status of information technology, analyzes in detail the user requirements, and defines in detail the specific functions of the target systems. By increasing the clarity of RFP, the scale and complexity of related businesses can be calculated accurately, many responding companies can prepare proposals clearly, and the level of fairness during the evaluation of many proposals can be improved, as well. Above all though, the problems that are posed as chronic challenges in this field, i.e., the misunderstanding and conflicts between the users and developers, excessive burden on developers, etc. can be resolved. This study is a case study that analyzes the execution process, execution accomplishment, problems, and the success factors of two pilot projects that introduced ISMP for the first time. ISMP performance procedures of actual site were verified, and how the user needs in the request for quote are described was examined. The satisfaction levels of ISMP RFP for quote were found to be high as compared to the conventional RFP. Although occurred were some problems such as RFP preparation difficulties, increased workload, etc. due to the lack of understanding and execution experience of ISMP, in overall, also occurred were some positive effects such as the establishment of the scope of target systems, improved information sharing and cooperation between the users and the developers, seamless communication between issuing customer corporations and IT service companies, reduction of changes in user requirements, etc. As a result of conducting action research type in-depth interviews on the persons in charge of actual work, factors were derived as ISMP success factors: prior consensus on the need for ISMP, the acquisition of execution resources resulting from the support of CEO and CIO, and the selection of specification level of the user requirements. The results of this study will provide useful site information to the corporations that are considering adopting ISMP and IT service firms, and present meaningful suggestions on the future study directions to researchers in the field of IT service competitive advantages.

• KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.281-290
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• 2020

With the spread of smartphones, services that want to use personalized data are increasing. In particular, healthcare-related services deal with a variety of data, and data visualization techniques are used to effectively show this. As data visualization techniques are used, interactions in visualization are also naturally emphasized. In the PC environment, since the interaction for data visualization is performed with a mouse, various filtering for data is provided. On the other hand, in the case of interaction in a mobile environment, the screen size is small and it is difficult to recognize whether or not the interaction is possible, so that only limited visualization provided by the app can be provided through a button touch method. In order to overcome the limitation of interaction in such a mobile environment, we intend to enable data visualization interactions through conversations with chatbots so that users can check individual data through various visualizations. To do this, it is necessary to convert the user's query into a query and retrieve the result data through the converted query in the database that is storing data periodically. There are many studies currently being done to convert natural language into queries, but research on converting user queries into queries based on visualization has not been done yet. Therefore, in this paper, we will focus on query generation in a situation where a data visualization technique has been determined in advance. Supported interactions are filtering on task x-axis values and comparison between two groups. The test scenario utilized data on the number of steps, and filtering for the x-axis period was shown as a bar graph, and a comparison between the two groups was shown as a line graph. In order to develop a natural language processing model that can receive requested information through visualization, about 15,800 training data were collected through a survey of 1,000 people. As a result of algorithm development and performance evaluation, about 89% accuracy in classification model and 99% accuracy in query generation model was obtained.