• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.70 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2011

Background: Early recognition and treatment of sepsis would improve patients' outcome. But it is difficult to distinguish between sepsis and non-infectious conditions in the acute phase of clinical deterioration. We studied serum level of procalcitonin (PCT) as a method to diagnose and to evaluate sepsis. Methods: Between 1 March 2009 and 30 September 2009, 178 patients had their serum PCT tested during their clinical deterioration in the medical intensive care unit. These laboratories were evaluated, on a retrospective basis. We classified their clinical status as non-infection, local infection, sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. Then, we compared their clinical status with level of PCT. Results: The number of clinical status is as follows: 18 non-infection, 33 local infection, 39 sepsis, 26 severe sepsis, and 62 septic shock patients. PCT level of non-septic group (non-infection and local infection) and septic group (sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock) was $0.36{\pm}0.57$ ng/mL and $18.09{\pm}36.53$ ng/mL (p<0.001), respectively. Area under the curve for diagnosis of sepsis using cut-off value of PCT >0.5 ng/mL was 0.841 (p<0.001). Level of PCT as clinical status was statistically different between severe sepsis and septic shock ($^*severe$ sepsis; $4.53{\pm}6.15$ ng/mL, $^*septic$ shock $34.26{\pm}47.10$ ng/mL, $^*p$ <0.001). Conclusion: Level of PCT at clinical deterioration showed diagnostic power for septic condition. The level of PCT was statistically different between severe sepsis and septic shock.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.261-267
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• 2000

It is well known that poly(cyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate) (PCT) is used as the engineering plastics with high melting temperature and fast crystallization rate compared with poly(butylene terephthalate)(PBT). However, poor thermal stability of PCT has limited its practical application due to the drastic decrease of molecular weight during the processing temperature. In order to improve the thermal stability of PCT homopolymer, the copolymer of PCT and PBT was synthesized and the thermal properties of the copolymer have been studied. P(CT/BT) copolymer was obtained by condensation polymerization of DMT, CHDM, and 1,4-butanediol. The chemical structure and composition of the copolymer was investigated by FTIR and NMR analysis. The thermal behavior of copolymer was studied using DSC and it was found that the crystallization-melting behavior of the copolymer was observed for the whole composition range. TGA analysis exhibited that P(CT/BT) copolymer is more stable at the initial stage of thermal decomposition compared with PCT and PBT homopolymers.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.9
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• pp.285-290
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• 2018

Purpose: To study the usefulness of the procalcitonin (PCT) test in young febrile infants between 1 and 3 months of age. Methods: We evaluated the medical records of 336 febrile infants between 1 and 3 months of age who visited the Emergency Department or outpatient department of Samsung Changwon Hospital from May 2015 to February 2017, and analyzed the clinical characteristics between infants in the serious bacterial infection (SBI) group and non-SBI group. Results: Among the 336 infants, 38 (11.3%) had definitive SBI (bacteremia, n=3; meningitis, n=1; urinary tract infection, n=34). The mean PCT ($6.4{\pm}11.9ng/mL$) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level ($3.8{\pm}2.6mg/dL$), and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ($6,984{\pm}4,675$) for patients in the SBI group were significantly higher than those for patients in the non-SBI group (PCT, $0.3{\pm}1.2ng/mL$; CRP, $1.3{\pm}1.6mg/dL$; ANC, $4,888{\pm}3,661$). PCT had lower sensitivity (43.6%), but higher specificity (92.6%) and accuracy (86.9%) than CRP (92.3%, 25.3%, and 33.0%) for identifying SBI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for definitive SBI were PCT 77.0%, CRP 80.8%, WBC 56.8%, ANC 67.8%, and PLT 48.1%. The AUCs for definitive SBI were PCT+CRP 85.4%, PCT+WBC 77.2%, PCT+ANC 81.3%, CRP+WBC 80.1%, and CRP+ANC 81.6%. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the PCT test or a combination of PCT and CRP tests is a more accurate and specific biomarker to detect and rule out SBIs.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2022

Procalcitonin (PCT) can provide an experimental rationale and a diagnostic lead to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections. This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with high PCT levels, to improve clinical diagnosis, and to determine whether PCT levels were associated with the subsequent development of sepsis in the general population. This was a retrospective observational study conducted on outpatients (N=127) over a year. The general data and laboratory parameters studied were PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and complete blood count (CBC). The positive rates of CRP and white blood cells (WBCs) in the elevated PCT group were higher than those of the normal group (P<0.05); the specificity and sensitivity of the PCT levels were obviously higher than those of the CRP and WBC levels at diagnosis (P<0.05). The mean PCT levels in the low group were significantly higher than those in the high or moderate group (P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation with CRP, total WBCs, and neutrophils (P<.001). The main finding of this study was the significant association between an elevated PCT level and CRP and WBC levels, signifying a high diagnostic value. This has important implications for the diagnosis of bacterial infections and therapeutic implications for the use of antibiotic treatment in specific patients.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.111-122
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• 2014

This paper proposes a new strategy for assisting SMEs in S. Korea to grow by the use of free technologies, which include expired patents, patents that are effective in other countries but not in S. Korea, and technologies that were published without being patented. A key question answered in this paper is how to find valuable technologies developed by large companies that can be utilized by domestic SMEs. A procedure for identifying emerging free technologies was developed and is explained with an example. A quantitative analysis of technology trend was conducted on PCT's published patents that did not include S. Korea as a designated country, and then emerging IPC subclasses were identified. Among those emerging technology areas, the subclass areas where the number of Korean inventors is small were identified as key emerging free technology areas. Our method for identifying emerging free technologies can assist domestic SMEs to advance in the international market and guide the development of a national industrial strategy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.112-117
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• 2017

Purpose: The aims of this study were to compare serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels between febrile children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and those with bacterial or viral infections, and assess the clinical usefulness of PCT level in predicting KD. Methods: Serum PCT levels were examined in febrile pediatric patients admitted between August 2013 and August 2014. The patients were divided into 3 groups as follows: 49 with KD, 111 with viral infections, and 24 with bacterial infections. Results: The mean PCT level in the KD group was significantly lower than that in the bacterial infection group ($0.82{\pm}1.73ng/mL$ vs. $3.11{\pm}6.10ng/mL$, P=0.002) and insignificantly different from that in the viral infection group ($0.23{\pm}0.34ng/mL$, P=0.457). The mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level in the KD group were significantly higher than those in the viral and bacterial infection groups (P<0.001 and P<0.001 for ESR, P<0.001 and P=0.005 for CRP, respectively). The proportion of patients in the KD group with PCT levels of >1.0 ng/mL was significantly higher in the nonresponders to the initial intravenous immunoglobulin treatment than in the responders (36% vs. 8%, P=0.01). Conclusion: PCT levels may help to differentiate KD from bacterial infections. A combination of disease markers, including ESR, CRP, and PCT, may be useful for differentiating between KD and viral/bacterial infections.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.231-237
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• 2014

In this paper, we have proceeded research for failures of semiconductor device stressed by Pressure Cooker Test(PCT). After PCT stress, we found various failures such as delamination between aluminium line and device layers and chemical composition transition of aluminium. We have executed the analysis using the physical and chemical observation equipments. There were the main failures that aluminium loss of aluminium pad is occurred and $Al_xO_y$($Al_2O_3$ or $Al(OH)_3$)) layer is formed abnormally. The primary cause of the failures is reaction of supplied fluorine or chlorine gases and infiltrated moisture during etching process.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.2507-2517
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• 2015

In this research, we aim to analyze the trend of Huawei's PCT patent applications. As a result of analyzing Huawei's PCT patents by dividing temporal spans into three periods - the early 2000s, the late 2000s, and the early 2010s -, the following characteristics have been observed. First, the number of PCT patent applications has conspicuously increased from the early 2000s to the late 2000s and this trend has continued during the early 2010s. Second, in terms of a core technological field, whereas Huawei focused on the development of technologies in the 'H04L: transmission of digital information' sector during the early/late 2000s, it changed this field to the 'H04W: wireless communication networks' sector during the early 2010s. Lastly, in the case of the patent maps, it was found that while general communications technologies, as expressed with such keywords as 'user' and 'network,' were actively developed during the early/late 2000s, mobile phone-related technologies grasped this leading position, as shown with the keywords including 'user equipment,' 'base station,' and 'MME,' during the early 2010s. It was also noticeable that Huawei filed LTE-related patent applications more actively than Apple and Samsung Electronics, which implies that it will presumably pioneer the global market more aggressively than its competitors in the future.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1996 no.11
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• pp.349-350
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• 1996

Using FEM, we analyzed the stress changes on early osteonecrosis of femoral head as the necrotic area increases. A 3D FEM model of proximal femur was made from the CT scam data of fresh frozen adult proximal femur with the material properties from literature. The model consisted of 5994 elements and 5275 nodes. FE analyses were peformed using MSC/NASTRAN. At normal states, stress transmission is mainly along the primary compression trabeculae(PCT). Until 60% involvement of PCT with necrotic lesion, stress transmission is still along the remained PCT. When the PCT involvement is from 60% to 85%, stress transmission is along the PCT and margin of the necrotic lesion. When involvement is more than 85%, stress is mostly transferred to posterior part of femoral head.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.429-434
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• 1996

K-REM［1］, which is under development as a realistic evaluation model of large break LOCA, is applied to the analysis of cold leg guillotine break of Ulchin 3&4. Fuel parameters on which statistical analysis of their effects on the peak cladding temperature (PCT) are made and system parameters on which the concept of limiting value approach (LVA) are applied, are determined from the single parameter sensitivity study. 3 parameters of fuel gap conductance, fuel thermal conductivity and power peaking factor are selected as fuel related ones and 4 parameters of axial power shape, reactor power, decay heat and the gas pressure of safety injection tank (SIT) are selected as plant system related ones. Response surface of PCT is generated from the plant calculation results and on which Monte Carlo sampling is made to get plant application uncertainty which is statistically combined with code uncertainty to produce the 95th percentile PCT. From the break spectrum analysis, blowdown PCT of 1350.23 K and reflood PCT of 1195.56 K are obtained for break discharge coefficients of 0.8 and 0.5, respectively.