• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2023

Lab-on-a-disc is a circular disc shape of cartridge that can be used for blood-based liquid biopsy to diagnose an early stage of cancer. Currently, liquid biopsies are regarded as a time-consuming process, and require sophisticated skills to precisely separate cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) floating in the bloodstream for accurate diagnosis. However, by applying the lab-on-a-disc to liquid biopsy, the entire process can be operated automatically. To do so, the lab-on-a-disc should be designed to prevent blood leakage during the centrifugation, transport, and dilution of blood inside the lab-on-a-disc in the process of liquid biopsy. In this study, the main components of lab-on-a-disc for liquid biopsy are fabricated by injection molding for mass production, and ultrasonic welding is employed to ensure the bonding strength between the components. To guarantee accurate ultrasonic welding, the flatness of the components is optimized numerically by using the response surface methodology with four main injection molding processing parameters, including the mold & resin temperatures, the injection speed, and the packing pressure. The 27 times finite element analyses using Moldflow® reveal that the injection time and the packing pressure are the critical factors affecting the flatness of the components with an optimal set of values for all four processing parameters. To further improve the flatness of the lab-on-a-disc components for stable mass production, a quarter-disc shape of lab-on-a-disc with a radius of 75 mm is used instead of a full circular shape of the disc, and this significantly decreases the standard deviation of flatness to 30% due to the reduced overall length of the injection molded components by one-half. Moreover, it is also beneficial to use a quarter disc shape to manage the deviation of flatness under 3 sigma limits.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.132-140
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify the optimal lotion manufacturing conditions with decursin and decursinol angelate of Angelica gigas Nakai extraction. Lotion was confirmed that it had viscosity (5,208±112 cPs), assay (99.71±1.01%), and pH (5.62) for 3 months. The optimization of manufacturing conditions of mixing 4 for lotion formulation were made by 22+3 full factorial design. Mixing temperature (40-80℃) and mixing time (10-30 min) were used as independent variables with three responses(assay, pH, and weight variation) as critical quality attributes (CQAs). The model for assay and weight variation identified a proper fit having a determination coefficient of the regression equation (about 0.9) and a p-value less than 0.05. Estimated conditions for the optimal manufacturing process of lotion were 61.93℃ in mixing temperature and 15.85 min in mixing time. Predicted values at the mixing temperature (60℃) and mixing time (20 min) were 100.69% of assay, 5.57 of pH, and 98.07% of weight variation. In the verification of the actual measurement the obtained values showed 100.29±0.98% of assay, 5.57±0.02 of pH, and 98.27±0.89% of weight variation, respectively, in good agreement with predicted values.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2023

In this study, in order to enhance the joint capacity between the existing reinforced concrete (R/C) frame and the reinforcement member, we proposed a novel concept of Internal Composite Seismic Strengthening Method (CSSM) for seismic retrofit of existing domestic medium-to-low-rise R/C buildings. The Internal CSSM rehabilitation system is a type of strength-enhancing reinforcement systems, to easily increase the ultimate horizontal shear capacity of R/C structures without seismic details in Korea, which show shear collapse mechanism. Two test specimens of full-size two-story R/C frame were fabricated based on an existing domestic R/C building without seismic details, and then retrofitted by using the proposed CSSM seismic system; therefore, one control test specimen and one test specimen reinforced with the CSSM system were used. Pseudo-dynamic testing was carried out to evaluate seismic strengthening effects, and the seismic response characteristics of the proposed system, in terms of the maximum shear force, response story drift, and seismic damage degree compared with the control specimen (R/C bare frame). Experiment results indicated that the proposed CSSM reinforcement system, internally installed to the existing R/C frame, effectively enhanced the horizontal shear force, resulting in reduced story drift of R/C buildings even under a massive earthquake.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.159-168
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• 2023

Background: An ongoing environmental exposure assessment of humidifier disinfectants (HDs) has been conducted since November 2011 among individuals who experienced HD exposure-related adverse health effects. It is being performed in order to determine and quantify exposure to humidifier disinfectants in victims and their families. To date, the assessment has encompassed Cycles I-to-V. There is no report summarizing the characteristics of the subjects from the overall cycles. Objectives: We intended to examine the individual characteristics related to demographics, HD usage, and HD exposure using integrated data from Cycles I-to-V of the environmental exposure assessment of HDs and the changes with the cycles. Methods: We included 7,543 individuals who participated in Cycles I-to-V of the environmental exposure assessment of HDs. We summarized the participants' characteristics regarding their demographics (e.g., sex, education level, and age), HD usage history (e.g., product name, ingredient, and frequency of HD use), and HD exposure (e.g., daily time of HD use, cumulative time of HD use, and exposure intensity). In addition, their characteristics were compared across the cycles of the exposure assessment. Results: Among the 7,543 participants from Cycles I-to-V, there were more male participants than females (51.05% overall), except for Cycles I and III. Across all cycles, a higher proportion of survivors was observed than deceased individuals. While PHMG was the most prevalent ingredient in HDs throughout all the cycles, its proportion gradually decreased over the course of the examination cycles. Participants in Cycle I reported longer daily times of HD use compared to those in the subsequent cycles. On the other hand, cumulative time of HD use was shorter in the earlier cycles than in the later cycles. Conclusions: Using the integrated data from the full cycles of the environmental exposure assessment, this study identified changes in demographic characteristics as well as the HD exposure characteristics between the participants across different cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.75-95
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• 2023

This study investigated the overall perceptions of pre-service school librarian teacher on the current education practicum through semi-structured in-depth interviews and suggested improvements to the educational practicum system. For this purpose, interview data were collected from 28 pre-service school librarian teacher (6 teachers' colleges, 14 taking teaching qualification courses, and 8 graduate school of education) who participated in educational practicum in school libraries, and a research method that combines qualitative analysis techniques with text network analysis was applied. The results of the study showed that pre-service school librarian teacher believe that educational practicum can prepare them for various field experiences and cultivate their ability to cope with situations they will encounter in the future. Through qualitative inquiry, we were able to identify their perceptions of school field practicum as a whole, their perceptions of the school field practicum, and their perceptions of educational service activities. Based on this, to improve the current problems of educational practice, we suggested expanding the period of school internship program, distributing the time, establishing a full-time practice system, having continuous discussions with field teachers, and developing a systematic school field practicum.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2023

Purpose: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are frequently employed to counteract the detrimental effects of proteinuria on glomerular diseases. However, the effects of ARBs remain poorly examined in pediatric patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of losartan, an ARB, in pediatric IgA nephropathy with proteinuria. Methods: This prospective, single-arm, multicenter study included children with IgA nephropathy exhibiting proteinuria. Changes in proteinuria, blood pressure, and kidney function were prospectively evaluated before and 4 and 24 weeks after losartan administration. The primary endpoint was the difference in proteinuria between baseline and 24 weeks. Results: In total, 29 patients were enrolled and received losartan treatment. The full analysis set included 28 patients who received losartan at least once and had pre- and post-urinary protein to creatinine ratio measurements (n=28). The per-protocol analysis group included 22 patients who completed all scheduled visits without any serious violations during the study period. In both groups, the mean log (urine protein to creatinine ratio) value decreased significantly at 6 months. After 24 weeks, the urinary protein to creatinine ratio decreased by more than 50% in approximately 40% of the patients. The glomerular filtration rate was not significantly altered during the observation period. Conclusions: Losartan decreased proteinuria without decreasing kidney function in patients with IgA nephropathy over 24 weeks. Losartan could be safely employed to reduce proteinuria in this patient population. ClinicalTrials.gov trial registration (NCT0223277)

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2024

Fruit thinning rate and characteristics were investigated for three years on seven promising pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) cultivars, which were treated by lime-sulfur as an eco-chemical thinning substance. Lime-sulfur was treated twice at the second and third days after full bloom by cultivar. Most of pear cultivars were significantly thinned by lime-sulfur compounds. Especially 'Whangkeumbae', 'Supergold' and 'Hanareum' exhibited high flower thinning rates, 41.5%, 40.1% and 39.9%, respectively. As weather conditions at the lime-sulfur treatment, insolation and cloud amount were correlated with flower thinning rate but not significant (r = 0.49 and r = -0.45, respectively). These results suggest that lime-sulfur is suitable for reducing labor force for flower thinning of Korean pears but flower thinning effects of lime-sulfur can vary depending on other factors such as environmental conditions. This information will provide useful data for low labor force cultivation of Korean pear cultivars.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.920-932
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• 2020

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic image quality of low dose abdominal digital radiography processed with a new post-processing technique. Materials and Methods Abdominal radiographs from phantom pilot studies were post-processed by the novel and conventional post-processing methods of our institution; the proper dose for the subsequent patient study of 49 subjects was determined by comparing image quality of the two preceding studies. Two radiographs of each patient were taken using the conventional and derived dose protocols with the proposed post-processing method. The image details and quality were evaluated by two radiologists. Results The radiation dose for the patient study was derived to be half of the conventional method. Overall half-dose image quality with the proposed method was significantly higher than that of the conventional method (p < 0.05) with moderate inter-rater agreement (κ = 0.60, 0.47). Conclusion By applying the new post-processing technique, half-dose abdominal digital radiography can demonstrate feasible image quality compared to the full-dose images.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.77-88
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• 2022

Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate the quality of radiomics studies on brain metastases based on the radiomics quality score (RQS), Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) checklist, and the Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative (IBSI) guidelines. Materials and Methods: PubMed MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched for articles on radiomics for evaluating brain metastases, published until February 2021. Of the 572 articles, 29 relevant original research articles were included and evaluated according to the RQS, TRIPOD checklist, and IBSI guidelines. Results: External validation was performed in only three studies (10.3%). The median RQS was 3.0 (range, -6 to 12), with a low basic adherence rate of 50.0%. The adherence rate was low in comparison to the "gold standard" (10.3%), stating the potential clinical utility (10.3%), performing the cut-off analysis (3.4%), reporting calibration statistics (6.9%), and providing open science and data (3.4%). None of the studies involved test-retest or phantom studies, prospective studies, or cost-effectiveness analyses. The overall rate of adherence to the TRIPOD checklist was 60.3% and low for reporting title (3.4%), blind assessment of outcome (0%), description of the handling of missing data (0%), and presentation of the full prediction model (0%). The majority of studies lacked pre-processing steps, with bias-field correction, isovoxel resampling, skull stripping, and gray-level discretization performed in only six (20.7%), nine (31.0%), four (3.8%), and four (13.8%) studies, respectively. Conclusion: The overall scientific and reporting quality of radiomics studies on brain metastases published during the study period was insufficient. Radiomics studies should adhere to the RQS, TRIPOD, and IBSI guidelines to facilitate the translation of radiomics into the clinical field.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.263-269
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• 2024

Embryos of early-ripening peaches could not achieve physiological maturation or undergo abortion before harvest. Embryo rescue is an effective strategy to rescue embryos from early-ripening peaches. Thus, the current study was carried out to determine the appropriate developmental stage and optimal medium composition for embryo rescue in early-ripening peach. Development of open-pollinated 'Yumi' fruit was investigated from 20 to 90 days after full bloom (DAFB) to explore period occurring endocarp hardening. After endocarp hardening, embryo development was observed by light microscopes. Shoot and root meristems were observed at 65 DAFB and embryo size rapidly increased at 75 DAFB. Embryos collected at 75, 80, 85, and 90 DAFB were cultured on four media based on Driver and Kuniyuki (DKW) medium. Germination rate of embryos cultured on four media gradually increased from 75 to 90 DAFB and reached 100% at 90 DAFB. Notably, M3 medium (0.5 DKW supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) 1.0 ㎎/L) displayed the highest germination rate at 75 and 80 DAFB stages. Growth and development of shoot and root were pronounced in plantlet cultured at 90 DAFB stage. While delayed shoot growth was evident in plantlets cultured at 75, 80, and 85 DAFB stages, this retardation could be overcome through the application of growth regulators, particularly in M3 and M4 (0.5 DKW supplemented with BAP 1.0 ㎎/L and indole-3-butyric acid 0.5 ㎎/L) media. Remarkably, roots of plantlet grown in M4 medium exhibited limited elongation. In conclusion, germination rate of embryo and growth of embryo cultured plantlet can be enhanced by collecting seeds from early-ripening 'Yumi' at the 90 DAFB stage and conducting embryo culture using the M3 medium.