• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.158-170
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• 2020

Purpose: We evaluated the incidence and characteristics of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in Korean children. Methods: Medical records of patients aged 2-18 years and diagnosed with CDI at a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2018 were analyzed. The patients were classified into three CDI groups: community-acquired (CA), community onset-health care facility-associated (CO-HCFA), and healthcare facility onset (HO). Results: The incidence of CDI increased from 1.00 to 10.01 cases per 10,000 admissions from 2009 to 2018 (P<0.001). As compared to the CA group, the HO group had a higher frequency of operation and malignancy as predisposing factors (40.4% vs. 0.0%, P=0.001; and 27.7% vs. 0.0%, P=0.027, respectively), frequency and number of previous antibiotic use (97.9% vs. 31.3%, P<0.001; and 2 vs. 0, P<0.001, respectively), and median postdiagnosis hospital stay (13 vs. 5 days, P=0.008). The CO-HCFA group had a lower median age and higher frequency of malignancy than the CA group (5 vs. 13 years, P=0.012; and 30.8% vs. 0.0%, P=0.030, respectively). As compared to the HO group, the CA group had a higher frequency of abdominal pain and hematochezia (56.3% vs. 10.6%, P=0.001; and 50.0% vs. 10.6%, P=0.002, respectively), inflammatory bowel disease (68.8% vs. 2.1%, P=0.001), and intravenous metronidazole treatment (37.5% vs. 2.1%, P=0.001). Conclusions: With the increasing incidence of pediatric CDI, awareness regarding its epidemiology and clinical characteristics is important to manage nosocomial infections.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2021

Purpose: The least constrained prosthesis is generally recommended in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Nevertheless, a varus/valgus constrained (VVC) prosthesis should be implanted when a semi-constrained prosthesis is not good for adequate stability, especially in the coronal plane. In domestic situations, however, the VVC prosthesis could not always be prepared for every primary TKA case. Therefore, it is sometimes impractical to use a VVC prosthesis for unsual unstable situations. This study provides information for preparing VVC prostheses in the preoperative planning of primary TKA through an analysis of primary VVC TKA cases. Materials and Methods: This study reviewed 1,797 primary TKAs, performed between May 2003 and February 2016. The reasons for requiring VVC prosthesis and the preoperative conditions in 29 TKAs that underwent primary TKA with a VVC prosthesis were analyzed retrospectively. Results: In primary TKA, 29 cases (1.6%) in 27 patients (6 male and 21 female) used VVC prosthesis. Two patients underwent a VVC prosthesis on both knees. The mean age of the patients was 63.4 years old (34-79 years). The mean flexion contracture was 16.2° (-20°-90°), and the mean angle of great flexion was 111.7° (35°-145°). The situations requiring a VVC prosthesis were severe valgus deformity in 10 knees, knee stiffness requiring extensive soft tissue release in 10 knees, previously injured collateral ligaments in five knees, and distal femoral bone defect due to avascular necrosis in four knees. The mean tibiofemoral angle was 25.7° (21°-43°) in 10 cases with a valgus deformity. The mean flexion contracture was 37.5° (20°-90°), and the mean range of motion was 48.5° (10°-70°) in 10 cases with knee stiffness. Conclusion: The preparation of VVC prosthesis is recommended, even for primary TKA in cases of severe valgus deformity (tibiofemoral angle>20°), stiff knee (the range of motion: less than 70° with more than 20° flexion contracture), and the cases with a previous collateral ligament injury. This information will help in the preparation of adequate TKA prostheses for unusual unstable situations.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.526-535
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• 2021

Spatial sampling design plays an important role in GIS-based modeling studies because it increases modeling efficiency while reducing the cost of sampling. In the field of agricultural systems, research demand for high-resolution spatial databased modeling to predict and evaluate climate change impacts is growing rapidly. Accordingly, the need and importance of spatial sampling design are increasing. The purpose of this study was to design spatial sampling of paddy fields (11,386 grids with 1 km spatial resolution) in Korea for use in agricultural spatial modeling. A stratified random sampling design was developed and applied in 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s under two RCP scenarios of 4.5 and 8.5. Twenty-five weather and four soil characteristics were used as stratification variables. Stratification and sample allocation were optimized to ensure minimum sample size under given precision constraints for 16 target variables such as crop yield, greenhouse gas emission, and pest distribution. Precision and accuracy of the sampling were evaluated through sampling simulations based on coefficient of variation (CV) and relative bias, respectively. As a result, the paddy field could be optimized in the range of 5 to 21 strata and 46 to 69 samples. Evaluation results showed that target variables were within precision constraints (CV<0.05 except for crop yield) with low bias values (below 3%). These results can contribute to reducing sampling cost and computation time while having high predictive power. It is expected to be widely used as a representative sample grid in various agriculture spatial modeling studies.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 2013

Purpose: Abdominal compressor is used to control breathing in stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung tumors frequently. We evaluated the dynamic variation aspect of internal tumor volume by breathing. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 20 lung cancer patients (7 upper lung patients, 4 middle lung patients, 9 lower lung patients) who received stereotactic body radiotherapy using abdominal compressor between April 2012 to April 2013. Coordinate shift values were obtained by using four-dimensional cone-beam CT (4D-CBCT) to investigate treatment set-up error and moving tumor position error. To investigate how much difference of each part, we compared 95% confidence interval, maximum values and minimum values of three-dimensional vector value and analyzed conformity degree through the Pearson square correlation coefficient. Results: 95% confidence interval of three-dimensional vector value of each part is 1.8~2.9 mm in upper lobe, 2.3~5.4 mm in middle lobe and 2.2~4.0 mm in lower lobe. Conformity degree was the result that respectively is LR direction 0.75, SI direction 0.68 and AP direction 0.63 in upper lobe, LR direction 0.82, SI direction 0.51 and AP direction 0.92 in middle lobe and LR direction 0.63, SI direction 0.50 and AP direction 0.34 in lower lobe. Conclusion: We showed difference by each site in lung tumor due to respiration by using abdominal compressor. Therefore, we must correct treatment set-up error as well as moving tumor position error by breathing. It is also considered to be useful that it is the use of 4D-CBCT when correcting the error due to various dynamic variation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.260-266
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• 2020

Alcohol impacts many central nervous systems, such as dopamine, serotonin, opioids, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), leading to addiction. Many studies have investigated the relationship between GABA and alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of GABA high and low rice intake on the alcohol intake behavior of mice. Black sticky rice with giant embryo (BSRGE), black sticky rice (BSR), giant embryo rice (GER), and rice (Rice) were germinated for 48 hr in brown rice. The embryos were then collected and used in the study. The diets were fed to respective C57BL/6 mouse groups ad libitum for 16 days and investigated for 2 hr alcohol intake, 22 hr water intake, 24 hr feed intake, and body weight. As a result of the repeated measure of ANOVA for the daily change of alcohol intake for 2 hr daily between the BSRGE and BSR groups, there was a significant difference in the number of days of intake (DF = 7, F = 4.812, p = 0.026). A significant daily decrease in alcohol intake was observed in the BSRGE group compared to the BSR group. This reduction was consistent from Day 10 to Day 16. Alcohol consumption also significantly decreased in the GER group compared to the Rice group. This decrease was observed from Day 12 to Day 16. In conclusion, BSRGE and GER resulted in decreased alcohol intake in C57BL/6 mice compared to BSR and rice. This suggests that BSRGE may prevent relapse in patients with alcohol use disorder.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.208-211
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• 2010

Purpose: $TFB^{(R)}$ CA19-9 IRMA kit uses beads coated with CA19-9 antibody. However, this mathod can not use automated equipment, and requires a long time test. Recently, CA19-9 IRMA kit developed by $TFB^{(R)}$ is coated with CA19-9 antibody to the polystyrene test tube and reaction at room temperature, and also reduced test time. This study evaluated the performance of a newly developed $TFB^{(R)}$ CA19-9 IRMA kit. Materials and Methods: This study were measured by using 56 patients sample of Boramae Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital. We evaluated intra-and inter-assay precision, recovery rate, linearity, sensitivity and high dose hook effect of coated tube CA19-9 IRMA kit developed by $TFB^{(R)}$. The values of CA19-9 measured by $TFB^{(R)}$ bead kit were compared with those measured by $TFB^{(R)}$ coated tube kit. Results: ntra-assay coefficients of variation on three different levels were 4.1%, 4.0% and 4.2%. Inter-assay coefficients of variation were 7.6%, 4.3% and 7.8%. Recovery tests on all three different levels showed within $100{\pm}10%$. Linearity was good and sensitivity was 0.3 U/mL. High dose hook effect is not observed. There was strong correlation between bead kit and coated tube kit by $TFB^{(R)}$ CA19-9 IRMA kit. (y=0.9185x-0.953, $R^2$=0.9779) Conclusion: Coated tube CA19-9 IRMA kit developed by $TFB^{(R)}$ showed satisfactory precision, recovery rate, linearity, sensitivity and high dose hook effect.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to develop a kelp (Laminaria japonica) product with optimal sensory and nutritional properties for eating as a snack by investigating its physicochemical properties and conducting sensory evaluation. A preliminary study using tripolypolyphosphate solution found that it was good for removing the fishy smell and for making it soft. We soaked the kelp in 0.3-0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate buffer and tested with or without baking. In searching for the optimal polyphosphate dilution concentration, soaking in 0.3-0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate resulted in the best texture and flavor. As kelp separates into thick or thin samples, thick kelp was best when soaked in 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate buffer and thin soaked in 0.3%. The kelp snack made from the thick one (over 221 mm thickness) was better than the thin one. Baking improved the moisture, texture and feel of the kelp snack. Tripolyphosphate treatment affected protein contents and texture softening. The differences by baking and tripolyphosphate treatment were shown with electromicroscopic image. Kelp snacks with added sweet and hot taste were preferred to sour taste. In conclusion, in making kelp snacks, it is advisable to use a thick kelp, 0.3-0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate, and baking treatment for better texture and feel. This kelp snack has low fishy smell, better taste and soft feel. Further research is needed to support sea food's importance, and usefulness of the kelp snack to help prevent goiter in inland province citizens.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.11-20
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and perception of adults concerning bokbunja (Rubus coreanus Miquel) products. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 502 residents in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area. According to the survey more females in their 20s responded than males (45.2 and 54.8%, respectively). In total, 82.6% of respondents had an income of under 4,000,000 won per month and most were living in the city. The results regarding knowledge about bokbunja products showed that the bokbunja wine score was highest (3.66), and intake frequency showed that over half of the respondents had never eaten bokbunja products. The preference for bokbunja wine by males was higher than that for females, whereas the others products showed higher scores for females than for males. When asked about how they knew about bokbunja products, 37.0% of males and 46.9% of females responded a family member or neighbor. When purchasing bokbunja products, males and females answered that they considered taste, country of origin, and manufacturer, and price. Approximately 48% of the respondents answered that they purchased bokbunja products in the grocery and department store. As a result, popularization of bokbunja products was based on product development and sales promotion, and the product development factor significantly influenced preference for bokbunja products.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.64-78
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• 2007

For Korean researchers, English is essential. In fact, this is the case for any researcher who is a non-native English speaker, as recognition and success is predicated on being published, while publications that reach the broadest audiences are in English. Unfortunately, university science and engineering programs in Korea often do not provide formal coursework to help students attain greater competence in English composition. Aggravating this situation is the general lack of literature covering this specific pedagogical issue. While there is plenty of information to help native speakers with technical writing and much covering general English composition for EFL learners, there is very little information available to help EFL learners become better technical writers. Thus, the purpose of this report is twofold. First, as most Korean educators in science and engineering are not well acquainted with pedagogical issues of EFL writing, this report provides a general introduction to some relevant issues. It reviews the importance of contrastive rhetoric as well as some considerations for choosing the appropriate teaching approach, class arrangement, and use of computer assisted learning tools. Secondly, a course proposal is discussed. Based on a review of student writing samples as well as student responses to a self-assessment questionnaire, the proposed course is intended to balance the needs of Korean EFL learners to develop grammar, process, and genre skills involved in technical writing. Although, the scope of this report is very modest, by sharing the considerations made towards the development of an EFL technical writing course it seeks to provide a small example to a field that is perhaps lacking examples.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2007

Purpose : Suprapubic aspiration(SPA) has been considered the "gold standard" for obtaining urine in non-toilet trained infants. Ultrasound(US)-guided SPA improves the success rate of the procedure and reduces the complications. However, many physicians perceive SPA as invasive and prefer the use of urethral catheterization (Ucat). We compared the success rate, complications and accuracy of US-guided SPA and Ucat. Methods : 121 infants who visited Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital with suspected urinary tract infection(UTI) were investigated. For the first study, the study infants were randomly assigned to either the US-guided SPA(n=32) or Ucat(n=32) groups. The success rate and complications of both procedures were compared. For the second study, US-guided SPA and Ucat were performed simultaneously(n=57). The accuracy of urethral catheterization was subsequently analyzed. The criteria for success was defined as the collection of more than 0.5 mL of urine. UTI was diagnosed by the presence of uropathogens over 105 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL. Results : The overall success rate of the US-guided SPA was 96.9%(71.9% in first attempts, 25.0% in second attempts) which was not significantly different compared to 96.9%(90.6% in first attempts, 6.3% in second attempts) in the Ucat(P>0.05) group. The aspirated urine volume was $7.4{\pm}3.7mL$ in the US-guided SPA group, which was not significantly different to $4.5{\pm}2.6mL$ in the Ucat(P>0.05) group. The accuracy of Ucat in comparison to the US guided SPA was low with sensitivity 59.5%, specificity 86.6%, false-positive rate 13.3% and false-negative rate 40.5%. Conclusion : US-guided SPA should be encouraged as the best method to collect the urine in non-toilet trained infants with UTI.