• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.213-224
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• 2021

Objective: Clinical outcomes of patients who undergo transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for single small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not consistent, and may differ based on certain imaging findings. This retrospective study was aimed at determining the efficacy of pre-TACE CT or MR imaging findings in predicting survival outcomes in patients with small HCC upon being treated with TACE. Besides, the study proposed to build a risk prediction model for these patients. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 750 patients with functionally good hepatic reserve who received TACE as the first-line treatment for single small HCC between 2004 and 2014 were included in the study. These patients were randomly assigned into training (n = 525) and validation (n = 225) sets. Results: According to the results of a multivariable Cox analysis, three pre-TACE imaging findings (tumor margin, tumor location, enhancement pattern) and two clinical factors (age, serum albumin level) were selected and scored to create predictive models for overall, local tumor progression (LTP)-free, and progression-free survival in the training set. The median overall survival time in the validation set were 137.5 months, 76.1 months, and 44.0 months for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves of the predictive models for overall, LTP-free, and progression-free survival applied to the validation cohort showed acceptable areas under the curve values (0.734, 0.802, and 0.775 for overall survival; 0.738, 0.789, and 0.791 for LTP-free survival; and 0.671, 0.733, and 0.694 for progression-free survival at 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively). Conclusion: Pre-TACE CT or MR imaging findings could predict survival outcomes in patients with small HCC upon treatment with TACE. Our predictive models including three imaging predictors could be helpful in prognostication, identification, and selection of suitable candidates for TACE in patients with single small HCC.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.39.1-39.14
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• 2023

Background: Diseases affecting the lungs and airways contribute significantly to the global burden of disease. The problem in low- and middle-income countries appears to be exacerbated by a shift in global manufacturing base to these countries and inadequate enforcement of environmental and safety standards. In Ghana, the potential adverse effects on respiratory function associated with occupational wood dust exposure have not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: Sixty-four male sawmill workers and 64 non-woodworkers participated in this study. The concentration of wood dust exposure, prevalence and likelihood of association of respiratory symptoms with wood dust exposure and changes in pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters in association with wood dust exposure were determined from dust concentration measurements, symptoms questionnaire and lung function test parameters. Results: Sawmill workers were exposed to inhalable dust concentration of 3.09 ± 0.04 mg/m³ but did not use respirators and engaged in personal grooming habits that are known to increase dust inhalation. The sawmill operators also showed higher prevalence and likelihoods of association with respiratory symptoms, a significant cross-shift decline in some PFT parameters and a shift towards a restrictive pattern of lung dysfunction by end of daily shift. The before-shift PFT parameters of woodworkers were comparable to those of non-woodworkers, indicating a lack of chronic effects of wood dust exposure. Conclusions: Wood dust exposure at the study site was associated with acute respiratory symptoms and acute changes in some PFT parameters. This calls for institution and enforcement of workplace and environmental safety policies to minimise exposure at sawmill operating sites, and ultimately, decrease the burden of respiratory diseases.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1293-1299
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) for chronic empyema-associated malignancy (CEAM). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images of 33 patients with chronic empyema, and analyzed the following findings: 1) shape of the empyema cavity, 2) presence of fistula, 3) maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) of the empyema cavity, 4) uptake pattern of the empyema cavity, 5) presence of a protruding soft tissue mass within the empyema cavity, and 6) involvement of adjacent structures. Final diagnosis was determined based on histopathology or clinical follow-up for at least 6 months. The abovementioned findings were compared between the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images of CEAM and chronic empyema. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was also performed. Results: Six lesions were histopathologically proven as malignant; there were three cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, two of squamous cell carcinoma, and one of poorly differentiated carcinoma. Maximum SUV within the empyema cavity (p < 0.001) presence of a protruding soft tissue mass (p = 0.002), and involvement of the adjacent structures (p < 0.001) were significantly different between the CEAM and chronic empyema images. The maximum SUV exhibited the highest diagnostic performance, with the highest specificity (96.3%, 26/27), positive predictive value (85.7%, 6/7), and accuracy (97.0%, 32/33) among all criteria. On ROC analysis, the area under the curve of maximum SUV was 0.994. Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT can be useful for diagnosing CEAM in patients with chronic empyema. The maximum SUV within the empyema cavity is the most accurate ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT diagnostic criterion for CEAM.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.118-126
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• 2024

In this paper, the research contents and results related to the automation of the hull-form optimal design of container ships are summarized. A container ship is a ship that generally operates near Froude number of 0.26. To implement hull-form optimal design automation for ships operating at this speed, an optimization algorithm, a hull-form change algorithm, a ship performance prediction algorithm, an automation algorithm, and an iterative calculation technique were applied to develop a numerical analysis computer program that enables hull-form optimal design automation of the container ship, and it was named HOTCONTAINER. In this study, a sensitivity analysis algorithm was developed and applied to appropriately set design variables for hull-form optimal design. To understand the reliability and real ship applicability of the developed algorithm, a numerical analysis was performed on KCS(KRISO Container Ship), a container ship that has been studied in various ways worldwide. Consequently, the optimal ship was derived, and the wave resistance, wave pattern, and wave height of the target and optimal ship were compared. In conclusion, compared the target ship, the optimal ship a 47.63% decrease in wave resistance, and the displacement and wet surface area decreased by 0.50% and 0.39%, respectively.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.603-619
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• 1997

The use of laser in the treatment of soft tissue minimizes hemorrhage, provides better view of the operating field, and thereby minimizes operating time. Also, there will be far less post-operative swelling, pain and scar formation, and sterilizing effect are shown in some portions of the wound site. All these advantages of laser therapy contribute to its widespread use in the field of medicine and dentistry. Regarding such facts, we used CO2 laser of different watts in gingivectomy for white rats to compare initial healing process. For the control group, the least amount of output in performing gingivectomy(4watts) was offered, and for the experimental group, 6watts was given. Animals were sacrificed on the second, third days, 1 weeks, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after operation, and their specimens were histologically analyzed. The following results were obtained: 1. Blood clot of small size was observed in both the control and experimental groups after two days, and no more thereafter. 2. In both the control and experimental groups, the inflammation zone size was the greatest after two days, and it decreased gradually to become almost invisble by the second week. The experimental group showed larger size of inflammation zone during second and third days: however, there was no difference after one week. 3. Granulation tissue in both the control and experimental groups showed gradual maturation with time, and by the second week, it was almost replaced by normal connective tissue. By the third week, complete healing pattern was observed. The experimental group showed larger granulation tissue than the control group until the third day, but there was no significant difference after one week. 4. In both the control and experimental groups, gingival epithelialization began on the second day. After one week, regeneration of rete peg and partial formation of junctional epithelium were observed: by the second week, keratinization of oral sulcular epithelium began, and it was completed by the third week.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.18 no.1 s.116
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• pp.62-75
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• 2007

This paper describes a shaped-beam antenna for increasing the antenna gain of a radiating element. The proposed antenna structure is composed of an exciting element and a multi-layered disk array structure(MDAS). The stack micro-strip patch elements were used as the exciter for effectively radiating the electromagnetic power to the MDAS over the broadband, and finite metallic disk array elements - which give the role of a director for shaping the antenna beam with the high gain - were finitely and periodically layered onto it. The efficient power coupling between the exciter and the MDAS should be carried out in such a way that the proposed antenna has a high gain characteristic. The design parameters of the exciter and the MDAS should be optimized together to meet the required specifications to meet the required specifications. In this study, a shaped-beam antenna with high gain was optimally designed under the operating conditions with a linear polarization and the frequency band of $9.6{\sim}10.4\;GHz$. Two methods constructed using thin dielectric film and dielectric foam materials respectively were also proposed in order to implement the MBAS of the antenna. In particular, through the computer simulation process, the electrical performance variations of the antenna with the MDAS realized by the thin dielectric film materials were shown according to the number of disk array elements in the stack layer. Two kinds of antenna breadboard with the MDAS realized with the thin dielectric film and dielectric foam materials were fabricated, but experimentation was conducted only on the antenna breadboard(Type 1) with the MDAS realized with the thin dielectric film materials according to the number of disk array elements in the stack layer in order to compare it with the electrical performance variations obtained during the simulation. The measured antenna gain performance was found to be in good agreement with the simulated one, and showed the periodicity of the antenna gain variations according to the stack layer number of the disk array elements. The electrical performance of the Type 1 antenna was measured at the center frequency of 10 GHz. As the disk away elements became the ten stacks, a maximum antenna gain of 15.65 dBi was obtained, and the measured return loss was not less than 11.4 dB within the operating band. Therefore, a 5 dB gain improvement of the Type 1 antenna can be obtained by the MDAS that is excited by the stack microstrip patch elements. As the disk array elements became the twelve stacks, the antenna gain of the Type 1 was measured to be 1.35 dB more than the antenna gain of the Type 2 by the outer dielectric ring effect, and the 3 dB beam widths measured from the two antenna breadboards were about $28^{\circ}$ and $36^{\circ}$ respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.498-505
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• 2004

Purpose: We compared captopril renal scintigraphic criteria for the diagnosis of renovascular hypertension by unilateral renal artery stenosis. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 24 patients (m/f : 16/8, age: $39{\pm}18$ years) with unilateral renal artery stenosis who underwent renal artery revascularization and captopril renal scintigraphy with $^{99m}Tc$-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid between May 1995 and April 2004. The blood pressure response was classified as cure/improvement or failure. We evaluated captopril-induced changes in relative function (BCfun) and renogram grade (0 to 5: 0=normal, and 5=renal failure pattern without measurable uptake) (CBren) and the difference of renograms between the normal and stenotic kidney on captopril scan (CNren). Results: light of 24 patients were cured and 11 improved and 5 patients were classified as failed revascularization. Significant predictors of a cure or improvement of blood pressure were younger age, stenosis by fibromuscular dysplasia or arteritis, BCfun, CBren and CNren. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of age, BCfun, CBren and CNren were not significantly different. Positive and negative predictive values of predictors were 100% and 42% (age ${\leq}38$): 92% and 50% (BCfun ${\geq}1%$): 92% and 75% (CBren ${\geq}1$), and 90% and 60% (CNren ${\geq}1$), respectively. Conclusion: Captopril induced changes in renal function and renogram can reliably predict hypertension response to revascularization. Renogram pattern on captopril scan can diagnose renovascular hypertension without baseline data in patients with unilateral renal artery stenosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2015

GNSS was firstly proposed for application in weather forecasting in the mid-1980s. It has continued to demonstrate the practical uses in GNSS meteorology, and other relevant researches are currently being conducted. Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV), calculated based on the GNSS signal delays due to the troposphere of the Earth, represents the amount of the water vapor in the atmosphere, and it is therefore widely used in the analysis of various weather phenomena such as monitoring of weather conditions and climate change detection. In this study we calculated the PWV through the meteorological information from an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) as well as GNSS data processing of a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) in order to analyze the heavy snowfall of the Ulsan area in early 2014. Song’s model was adopted for the weighted mean temperature model (T_m), which is the most important parameter in the calculation of PWV. The study period is a total of 56 days (February 2013 and 2014). The average PWV of February 2014 was determined to be 11.29 mm, which is 11.34% lower than that of the heavy snowfall period. The average PWV of February 2013 was determined to be 10.34 mm, which is 8.41% lower than that of not the heavy snowfall period. In addition, certain meteorological factors obtained from AWS were compared as well, resulting in a very low correlation of 0.29 with the saturated vapor pressure calculated using the empirical formula of Magnus. The behavioral pattern of PWV has a tendency to change depending on the precipitation type, specifically, snow or rain. It was identified that the PWV showed a sudden increase and a subsequent rapid drop about 6.5 hours before precipitation. It can be concluded that the pattern analysis of GNSS PWV is an effective method to analyze the precursor phenomenon of precipitation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.373-387
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• 2021

In this study, the impact of clustered groundwater usage facilities and the proper amount of groundwater usage in the Daejeong-Hangyeong watershed of Jeju island were evaluated based on the data-driven analysis methods. As the applied data, groundwater level data; the corresponding precipitation data; the groundwater usage amount data (Jeoji, Geumak, Seogwang, and English-education city facilities) were used. The results show that the Geumak usage facility has a large influence centering on the corresponding location; the Seogwang usage facility affects on the downstream area; the English-education usage facility has a great impact around the upstream of the location; the Jeoji usage facility shows an influence around the up- and down-streams of the location. Overall, the influence of operating the clustered groundwater usage facilities in the watershed is prolonged to approximately 5km. Additionally, the appropriate groundwater usage amount to maintain the groundwater base-level was analyzed corresponding to the precipitation. Considering the recent precipitation pattern, there is a need to limit the current amount of groundwater usage to 80%. With increasing the precipitation by 100mm, additional groundwater development of approximately 1,500m³-1,900m³ would be reasonable. All the results of the developed data-driven estimation model can be used as useful information for sustainable groundwater development in the Daejeong-Hangyeong watershed of Jeju island.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.383-396
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• 2020

Purpose: This study compared the injury mechanism, site, type, initial management approach of orthopedic injury, and outcomes according to the injury severity in moderate-to-severe injured patients. Materials and Methods: During 57-month, excluding the period when the authors' emergency/trauma center was not operating, from 2014 to 2019, a retrospective study was conducted on 778 patients with orthopedic injuries among patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS)>9 scored. The patients were classified into moderate-injured group (group-1, 679) and severe-injured group (group-2, 99) according to the injury severity based on the ISS and physiologic parameters. The injury mechanism and non-orthopedic injury were evaluated. Orthopedic injuries were assessed according to the injury pattern and the number of anatomical regions and bone sites involved. The management approach for the orthopedic injuries in two groups was compared. Outcomes (hospital stay, systemic complications, and in-hospital mortality) were evaluated, and the risk factors for mortality were analyzed. Results: In group-2, the incidence of younger males, high-energy mechanisms, and accompanying injuries was significantly higher than in group-1. The number of anatomical regions and bone sites involved increased in group-2. The involvement of the pelvis, spine, and upper extremity was significantly higher in group-2, whereas group-1 was involved mainly by the lower extremities. Depending on the patient's condition, definitive or staged management for orthopedic injuries may be used. Group-1 was treated mainly with definite fixation after the physiological stabilization process, and group-2 was treated with staged management using temporary external fixation. The hospital stay was significantly longer in group-2. The overall systematic complications and in-hospital mortality was approximately 4.9% and 4.5%. A higher injury severity was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (2.9%, 15.2%; p<0.0001). Increasing age and high ISS are independent risk factors for mortality. Conclusion: A higher severity of injury was associated with a higher incidence of high-energy mechanism, younger, male, accompanying injuries, and the frequency and severity of orthopedic injuries. Severe polytrauma patients were treated mainly with a staged approach, such as external fixation. The hospital stay, systematic complications, and in-hospital mortality were significantly higher in severe-injured patients. Age and ISS are strong predictors of in-hospital mortality in polytrauma.