• Title/Summary/Keyword: Limited functional unit

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Effects of Definitive Chemoradiotherapy on Respiratory Function Tests and Quality of Life Scores During Treatment of Lung Cancer

  • Duman, Evrim;Yildirim, Mustafa;Kaya, Vildan;Ozturk, Duriye;Inal, Aysun;Akarsu, Zeynep;Gunduz, Seyda;Yildiz, Mustafa
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.15
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    • pp.6779-6782
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    • 2015
  • Background: Chemoradiotherapy is an important treatment modality for lung cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in, as well as the interrelationship between, lung function and quality of life of patients receiving chemoradiotherapy due to locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) limited to the thorax. Materials and Methods: The study included patients receiving definitive chemoradiotherapy for lung carcinoma. The respiratory function of the patients was assessed by measuring forced expiratory volume in 1 s per unit (FEV1) and forced expiratory volume in 1s per unit of vital capacity (FEV1/VC) before, in the middle of and after treatment. During the study, EORTC QLQ C30 and LC13 questionnaires developed by the Committee of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) were employed to evaluate the quality of life on the same day as respiratory function tests (RFT). Findings: The study included 23 patients in total: 19 (82.6%) diagnosed with NSCLC and 4 (17.4%) with SCLC. The average percentage FEV1 was $55.6{\pm}21.8%$ in the pre-treatment period, $56.2{\pm}19.2%$ in the middle of treatment and $60.4{\pm}22%$ at the end of treatment. The improvement in functional scores, symptom scores and general health scores during treatment was not statistically significant (P= 0.568, P= 0.734, P= 0.680, P=0.757 respectively). Conclusions: Although this study showed an improvement in respiratory function and quality of life of patients during treatment with thoracic chemoradiotherapy, no statistically significant results were obtained. While evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for lung carcinoma, the effects of treatment on respiratory function and quality of life should be considered.

Assessment of absorption ability of air pollutant on forest in Gongju-city

  • Eom, Ji-Young;Jeong, Seok-Hee;Lee, Jae-Seok
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.41 no.12
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    • pp.328-335
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    • 2017
  • Background: Some researchers have attempted to evaluate the ecological function of various additional services, away from the main point of view on the timber production of Korean forests. However, basic data, evaluation models, or studies on the absorption of air pollutants related to major plant communities in Korea are very rare. Therefore, we evaluated the functional value of the forest ecosystem in Gongju-city. Plantation manual for air purification, supplied from the Ministry of Environment in Japan, was referred to process and method for assessment of air pollutant absorption. Results: Gross primary production was calculated about average 18.2 t/ha/year. It was a relatively low value in forests mixed with deciduous broad and evergreen coniferous compared to pure coniferous forest. Net primary production was the highest value in deciduous coniferous and was the lowest value in mixed forest with deciduous broad and evergreen broad. And the mean sequestration amount of each air pollutant per unit area per year assessed from gross primary production and concentration of gas was the highest with 75.81 kg/ha/year in $O_3$ and was 16.87 and 6.04 kg/ha/year in $NO_2$ and $SO_2$, respectively. In addition, total amounts of $CO_2$ absorption and $O_2$ production were 716,045 t $CO_2$/year and 520,760 t $O_2$/year in all forest vegetation in Gongju-city. Conclusions: In this study, we evaluated the absorption ability of air pollutant in 2014 on forest in Gongju-city area. Gongju-city has the broad mountain area about 70.3%, and area of deciduous broad leaves forest was established the broadest with 47.4% of genus Quercus. Pg was calculated about average 18.2 t/ha/year. The mean sequestration amount of each air pollutant per unit area per year assessed from Pg and $C_{gas}$ was the highest with 75.81 kg/ha/year in $O_3$ and were 16.87 and 6.04 kg/ha/year in $NO_2$ and $SO_2$, respectively. Absorption rates of $O_3$, $NO_2$, and $SO_2$ were the highest in evergreen coniferous forest about $14.87kgO_3/ha/year$, $3.30kgNO_2/ha/year$, $1.18kgSO_2/ha/year$, and the lowest were $5.95kgO_3/ha/year$, $1.32kgNO_2/ha/year$, and $0.47kgSO_2/ha/year$ in deciduous broad forest. In conclusion, it was evaluated that Japanese model is suitable for estimating air pollutants in Japan to Korean vegetation. However, in Korea, there is a very limited basic data needed to assess the ability of forests to absorption of air pollutants. In this study, the accuracy of a calculated value is not high because the basic data of trees with similar life form are used in evaluation.

A Study on the Acceptance of Convergence System of Broadcasting, and Telecommunication, and Their Relative Efficiency Focusing on IPFV (방송과 통신 융합시스템의 수용 및 상대적 효능에 관한 연구: IPTV를 중심으로)

  • Um, Myoung-Yong;Lee, Sang-Ho;Kim, Jai-Beam
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.25-49
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    • 2009
  • Advances in technology have resulted in the emergence of new information systems. The convergence of IT and manufacturing sectors has blurred the boundaries among industries. Also, such convergence has become established as a paradigm to build a new area. Especially the convergence of broadcasting and telecommunication, notably in the case of IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), is among the most salient examples of its kind in recent years as a major case of disruptive technology innovation. Despite its much fanfare, such convergence, however, has not fulfilled the expectation; it has not produced positive economic effects while negatively affecting the growth of IPIV. Stakeholders in and around IPIV including telecommunication companies, broadcasting corporations, and government bodies wish to gain control of IPTV under their wings. IPTV has drifted in the midst of conflicts among the stakeholders in and around IPTV, particularly telecommunication and broadcasting organizations in a broad sense. Our empirical research intends to deal with how audiences accept IPTV and how firms provide IPTV services to utilize their resources. Three research questions in this paper include, first, whether Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can sufficiently explain the acceptance of IPTV as an information system. The second question concerns with empirically testing the playful aspect of IPTV to increase its audience acceptance. Last, but not least, this paper deals with how firms can efficiently and effectively allocate their limited resources to increase IPTV viewers. To answer those three main questions of our study, we collect data from 197 current subscribers of high speed internet service and/or cable/satellite television. Empirical results show that 'perceived usefulness (PU) $\rightarrow$ Intention to use' and 'perceived ease of use (PEU) $\rightarrow$ Intention to use' are significant. Also, 'perceived ease of use' is significantly related to 'perceived usefulness.' Perceived ease of handling IPTV without much effort can positively influence the perceived value of IPTV. In this regard, engineers and designers of IPTV should pay more attention to the user-friendly interface of IPTV. In addition, 'perceived playfulness (PP)' of IPTV is positively related to 'intention to use'. Flow, fun and entertainment have recently gained greater attention in the research concerned with information systems. Such attention is due to the changing features of information systems in recent years that combine the functional and leisure attributes. These results give practical implications to the design of IPTV that reflects not just leisure but also functional elements. This paper also investigates the relationship between 'perceived ease of use (PEU)' and 'perceived playfulness (PP).' PEU is positively related to pp. Audiences without fear can be attracted more easily to the user-friendly IPTV, thereby perceiving the fun and entertainment with ease. Practical implications from this finding are that, to attract more interest and involvement from the audience, IPTV needs to be designed with similar or even more user friendly interface. Of the factors related to 'intention to use', 'perceived usefulness (PU)' and 'perceived ease of use (PEU)' have greater impacts than 'perceived playfulness (PP).' Between PU and PEU, their impacts on 'intention to use' are not significantly different statistically. Managerial implications of this finding are that firms in preparation for the launch of IPTV service should prioritize the functions and interface of IPTV. This empirical paper also provides further insight into the ways in which firms can strategically allocate their limited resources so as to appeal to viewers, both current and potential, of IPTV.

Target Identification for Metabolic Engineering: Incorporation of Metabolome and Transcriptome Strategies to Better Understand Metabolic Fluxes

  • Lindley, Nic
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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    • 2004.06a
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    • pp.60-61
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    • 2004
  • Metabolic engineering is now a well established discipline, used extensively to determine and execute rational strategies of strain development to improve the performance of micro-organisms employed in industrial fermentations. The basic principle of this approach is that performance of the microbial catalyst should be adequately characterised metabolically so as to clearlyidentify the metabolic network constraints, thereby identifying the most probable targets for genetic engineering and the extent to which improvements can be realistically achieved. In order to harness correctly this potential, it is clear that the physiological analysis of each strain studied needs to be undertaken under conditions as close as possible to the physico-chemical environment in which the strain evolves within the full-scale process. Furthermore, this analysis needs to be undertaken throughoutthe entire fermentation so as to take into account the changing environment in an essentially dynamic situation in which metabolic stress is accentuated by the microbial activity itself, leading to increasingly important stress response at a metabolic level. All too often these industrial fermentation constraints are overlooked, leading to identification of targets whose validity within the industrial context is at best limited. Thus the conceptual error is linked to experimental design rather than inadequate methodology. New tools are becoming available which open up new possibilities in metabolic engineering and the characterisation of complex metabolic networks. Traditionally metabolic analysis was targeted towards pre-identified genes and their corresponding enzymatic activities within pre-selected metabolic pathways. Those pathways not included at the onset were intrinsically removed from the network giving a fundamentally localised vision of pathway functionality. New tools from genome research extend this reductive approach so as to include the global characteristics of a given biological model which can now be seen as an integrated functional unit rather than a specific sub-group of biochemical reactions, thereby facilitating the resolution of complexnetworks whose exact composition cannot be estimated at the onset. This global overview of whole cell physiology enables new targets to be identified which would classically not have been suspected previously. Of course, as with all powerful analytical tools, post-genomic technology must be used carefully so as to avoid expensive errors. This is not always the case and the data obtained need to be examined carefully to avoid embarking on the study of artefacts due to poor understanding of cell biology. These basic developments and the underlying concepts will be illustrated with examples from the author's laboratory concerning the industrial production of commodity chemicals using a number of industrially important bacteria. The different levels of possibleinvestigation and the extent to which the data can be extrapolated will be highlighted together with the extent to which realistic yield targets can be attained. Genetic engineering strategies and the performance of the resulting strains will be examined within the context of the prevailing experimental conditions encountered in the industrial fermentor. Examples used will include the production of amino acids, vitamins and polysaccharides. In each case metabolic constraints can be identified and the extent to which performance can be enhanced predicted

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Atrial Septal Defect Closure: Comparison of Vertical Axillary Minithoracotomy and Median Sternotomy

  • Poyrazoglu, Huseyin Hakan;Avsar, Mustafa Kemal;Demir, Serafettin;Karakaya, Zeynep;Guler, Tayfun;Tor, Funda
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.46 no.5
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    • pp.340-345
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    • 2013
  • Background: This study aims to evaluate whether or not the method of right vertical axillary minithoracotomy (RVAM) is preferable to and as reliable as conventional sternotomy surgery, and also assesses its cosmetic results. Methods: Thirty-three patients (7 males, 26 females) with atrial septal defect were admitted to the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic of Cukurova University from December 2005 until January 2010. The patients' ages ranged from 3 to 22. Patients who underwent vertical axillary minithracotomy were assigned to group I, and those undergoing conventional sternotomy, to group II. Group I and group II were compared with regard to the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative variables. Group I included 12 females and 4 males with an average age of $16.5{\pm}9.7$. Group II comprised 14 female and 3 male patients with an average age of $18.5{\pm}9.8$ showing similar features and pathologies. The cases were in Class I-II according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification, and patients with other cardiac and systemic problems were not included in the study. The ratio of the systemic blood flow to the pulmonary blood flow (Qp/Qs) was $1.8{\pm}0.2$. The average pulmonary artery pressure was $35{\pm}10$ mmHg. Following the diagnosis, performing elective surgery was planned. Results: No significant difference was detected in the average time of the patients' extraportal circulation, cross-clamp and surgery (p>0.05). In the early postoperative period of the cases, the duration of mechanical ventilator support, the drainage volume in the first 24 hours, and the hospitalization time in the intensive care unit were similar (p>0.05). Postoperative pains were evaluated together with narcotic analgesics taken intravenously or orally. While 7 cases (43.7%) in group I needed postoperative analgesics, 12 cases (70.6%) in group II needed them. No mortality or major morbidity has occurred in the patients. The incision style and sizes in all of the patients undergoing RVAM were preserved as they were at the beginning. Furthermore, the patients of group I were mobilized more quickly than the patients of group II. The patients of group I were quite pleased with the psychological and cosmetic results. No residual defects have been found in the early postoperative period and after the end of the follow-up periods. All of the patients achieved functional capacity per NYHA. No deformation of breast growth has been detected during 18 months of follow-up for the group I patients, who underwent RVAM. Conclusion: To conclude, the repair of atrial septal defect by RVAM, apart from the limited working zone for the surgeon in these pathologies as compared to sternotomymay be considered in terms of the outcomes, and early and late complications. And this has accounted for less need of analgesics and better cosmetic results in recent years.

For History : Roles of Historians and Archivists - Public Archives, Archivists, and Historians - (역사를 위하여: 아키비스트와 역사가의 역할 -공공기록보존소를 중심으로-)

  • Lee, Sang-min
    • The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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    • no.6
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    • pp.225-262
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    • 2002
  • Chief Consultant Archives Government Archives & Records Service -table of contents- 1. Introduction 2. Relationship of Historical Studies and Archive 3. Relationship of Archives and Archives 4. Conclusion; Historians, Archives, and Archivists, and Their Roles This essay is mainly written for historians who may have "little or limited experience" in dealing with archives and archivists in their course of historical research. It may sound very ridiculous to say that "historians have little or limited experience" in using archives but it is also true that many Korean historians have depended on various compiled editions of historical materials or personally donated and/or collected materials when they do research, rather than they would visit archives and search for the materials by themselves. This is the main reason for that the public archives in Korea have not served historians well and effectively, and vice versa, that historians have not visited archives sometime with no knowledge of archives, and have not requested opening of archives for their research. It is a simple fact that historian's study depends on the records he/she uses. Without records, there should be no history. Use of archives for historical research is a common thing and a must in modern archives. Records are selected to be preserved in archives for their preservation as well as their future use. Who select the records as archives? Archivists do mostly. Then, what are the criteria for the archivists to chose records as permanent preservable archives? Answers to this fundamental question have been provided by many historians and archivists. The closest answer may be that selecting archivists would be better trained and equipped with historical research and knowledgeable of the major trends in historical research. With his/her own experience of historical research and tracing the trends of historical studies and materials used in the historiography, they could chose better and appropriate records for future use using their prudence and discretion. It also means that historians have had influence on archivists in their selecting archives by providing the theme and context of historical studies of the time. Though not necessarily becoming a historian themselves, selecting or appraising archivists should understand the process of creating the records and should know how they become archives. This is a precondition to become a good archivist. But that's not all. They must know how the archives are used and what archives are used for what purposes. Among many other roles of modern archivists, selecting and describing the archives are the foremost tasks of an archivist. Archivists therefore developed modern methods to select future archives based on functional analysis and records series concept rather than a record file or item as a unit of selection. Historians are users or consumers of the archives held in the archives building or repository. The quality of their study depends on the "quality" of the materials they use. With the help of archivists not to mention of reference service, historians owe much to archivists in having an access to the materials they need, intellectually and physically. Too many closed archives and too long closed archives in the archives repository would benefit neither historians nor archivists. However, archivists can mostly react only to archive requests and demands made by historians for more wide accessibility. Using the FOIA, as in the U.S., or the Information Opening Act, as in case of Korea, historians can promote the use of historical materials as well as promoting accountability and transparence for the benefit to society as whole. In this context, it is vary desirable to establish a close professional relationship between historians and archivists even in the age of information society. At present, historians need more understanding of operation and importance of archives while archives administration need to realize the potential archival demands from research community and civil movement for clean government.

A Knowledge-based Approach for the Estimation of Effective Sampling Station Frequencies in Benthic Ecological Assessments (지식기반적 방법을 활용한 저서생태계 평가의 유효 조사정점 개수 산정)

  • Yoo, Jae-Won;Kim, Chang-Soo;Jung, Hoe-In;Lee, Yong-Woo;Lee, Man-Woo;Lee, Chang-Gun;Jin, Sung-Ju;Maeng, Jun-Ho;Hong, Jae-Sang
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.147-154
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    • 2011
  • Decision making in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Consultation on the Coastal Area Utilization (CCAU) is footing on the survey reports, thus requires concrete and accurate information on the natural habitats. In spite of the importance of reporting the ecological quality and status of habitats, the accumulated knowledge and recent techniques in ecology such as the use of investigated cases and indicators/indices have not been utilized in evaluation processes. Even the EIA report does not contain sufficient information required in a decision making process for conservation and development. In addition, for CCAU, sampling efforts were so limited that only two or a few stations were set in most study cases. This hampers transferring key ecological information to both specialist review and decision making processes. Hence, setting the effective number of sampling stations can be said as a prior step for better assessment. We introduced a few statistical techniques to determine the number of sampling stations in macrobenthos surveys. However, the application of the techniques requires a preliminary study that cannot be performed under the current assessment frame. An analysis of the spatial configuration of sampling stations from 19 previous studies was carried out as an alternative approach, based on the assumption that those configurations reported in scientific journal contribute to successful understanding of the ecological phenomena. The distance between stations and number of sampling stations in a $4{\times}4$ km unit area were calculated, and the medians of each parameter were 2.3 km, and 3, respectively. For each study, approximated survey area (ASA, $km^2$) was obtained by using the number of sampling stations in a unit area (NSSU) and total number of sampling stations (TNSS). To predict either appropriate ASA or NSSU/TNSS, we found and suggested statistically significant functional relationship among ASA, survey purpose and NSSU. This empirical approach will contribute to increasing sampling effort in a field survey and communicating with reasonable data and information in EIA and CCAU.