• Journal of Gynecologic Oncology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.100.1-100.13
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• 2018

Objective: To investigate survival outcomes in endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) patients with single vs. multiple positive pelvic lymph nodes. Methods: We performed a retrospective evaluation of all consecutive patients with histologically proven International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC1 EEC who underwent primary surgical treatment between 2004 and 2014 at seven Italian gynecologic oncology referral centers. Patients with pre- or intra-operative evidence of extra-uterine disease (including the presence of bulky nodes) and patients with stage IIIC2 disease were excluded, in order to obtain a homogeneous population. Results: Overall 140 patients met the inclusion criteria. The presence of >1 metastatic pelvic node was significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrence and mortality, compared to only 1 metastatic node, at both univariate (recurrence: hazard ratio [HR]=2.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.2-3.99; p=0.01; mortality: HR=2.8; 95% CI=1.24-6.29; p=0.01) and multivariable analysis (recurrence: HR=1.91; 95% CI=1.02-3.56; p=0.04; mortality: HR=2.62; 95% CI=1.13-6.05; p=0.02) and it was the only independent predictor of prognosis in this subset of patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were significantly longer in patients with only 1 metastatic node compared to those with more than 1 metastatic node (p=0.008 and 0.009, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of multiple metastatic nodes in stage IIIC1 EEC represents an independent predictor of worse survival, compared to only one positive node. Our data suggest that EEC patients may be categorized according to the number of positive nodes.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.133-142
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether enzyme-hydrolyzed poultry by-product meal (EHPBM) is more effective as a protein source than poultry by-product meal (PBM) and soybean meal (SBM) for broiler chickens. A group of 300 one-day-old broiler chicks was randomly allocated to three treatments with five replicates (20 birds/replicate) for five weeks. The treatments consisted of basal diets containing 1) SBM, 2) PBM, and 3) EHPBM. The EHPBM-fed group (1,853 g±125.60) showed the highest final body weight (P<0.05) when compared to the PBM-fed group (1,723 g±76.81) and SBM-fed group (1,545 g±62.31). The feed conversion ratio of the EHPBM treatment group (1.740±0.104) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of the SBM (1.653±0.056) and PBM groups (1.674±0.072). It can be speculated that the increased feed intake in the EHPBM group led to higher body weight gain and FCR. There was no significant effect of treatments on internal organ weight except for the bursa of Fabricius. Blood biochemical characteristic analysis showed that aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase levels were higher in the EHPBM and PBM groups (P<0.05), probably due to the strained liver caused by the rapid growth of birds. In conclusion, EHPBM may partly replace conventional dietary protein sources such as soybean meal or poultry by-product meal and can be used to improve the productivity of broilers.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.342-351
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• 2019

The optimum N concentrations incorporated as pre-planting nutrient charge fertilizer were determined for seedling raising using cylindrical paper pots. A root medium was formulated by blending of peat moss (particles smaller than 2.84 mm were 80-90%) and perlite (1 to 3 mm) with the ratio of 7:3 (v/v). The treatment N concentrations incorporated during the root medium formulation were adjusted to 0, 150, 250, 500, and $750mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ and the concentrations of essential nutrients except N were equal in all treatments. After making of paper pots and putting into the 40-cell tray, the seeds of Chinese cabbage ('Chunmyeong Bom Baechu') and pak-choi ('Hanog cheonggyeongchae') were sown. During the raising of seedlings, weekly analysis of medium pH, EC and concentrations of inorganic elements were conducted. After 21 and 20 days after seed sowing of Chinese cabbage and pak-choi, the growth of the above-ground parts were measured and contents of inorganic elements in the plant tissues were analyzed. During the growing period, pH of the root media rose gradually and the EC decreased rapidly at week 3. The pH of root media at harvest was in the range of 5.3 to 5.9 in Chinese cabbage and 4.93 to 5.39 in pak-choi. Growth of the aboveground parts in terms of fresh and dry weight in both the plants were the highest in the $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ N treatment and the lowest in the control treatment. The elevation of pre-planting N concentrations in root medium resulted in the increase of tissue N content and decrease of P, Ca, and Mg contents. The regression equation derived from the influence of varied pre-planting N concentrations on dry weight of above-ground tissue were $y=-0.0036x^2+0.0021x+0.0635$ ($R^2=0.9826$) in Chinese cabbage and $y=-0.16x^2+0.0009x+0.032$ ($R^2=0.991$) in pak-choi. When the low critical concentration of pre-plant N is taken at the point where dry weight of above-ground tissue is 10% less than maximum (0.40 g in Chinese cabbage and 0.16 g in pak-choi), those point are 0.36 g and 0.144 g per plant in Chinese cabbage and pak-choi, respectively. The lower critical N concentrations of root media calculated from the regression equations are $196mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for Chinese cabbage and $187mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for pak-choi. These results indicate that optimum pre-plant N concentrations for seedling raising using paper pots are in the range of 196 to $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for Chinese cabbage and 187 to $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for pak-choi.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.55-71
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• 2022

Recently, the domestic department store industry is growing into a complex shopping cultural space, which is advanced and differentiated by changes in consumption patterns. In addition, competition is intensifying across 70 places operated by five large companies. This study investigates the determinants of the visits to department stores using the big data concept's automatic vehicle access system (pos) and proposes how to strengthen the competitiveness of the department store industry. We use a negative binomial regression test to predict the frequency of visits to 67 branches, except for three branches whose annual sales were incomplete due to the new opening in 2021. The results show that the demand for visiting department stores is positively associated with airport, terminal, and train stations, land areas, parking lots, VIP lounge numbers, luxury store ratio, F&B store numbers, non-commercial areas, and hotels. We suggest four strategies to enhance the competitiveness of domestic department stores. First, department store consumers have a high preference for luxury brands. Therefore, department stores need to form their own overseas buyer teams to discover and attract new luxury brands and attract customers who have a high demand for luxury brands. In addition, to attract consumers with high purchasing power and loyalty, it is necessary to provide more differentiated products and services for VIP customers than before. Second, it is desirable to focus on transportation hub areas such as train stations, airports, and terminals in Gyeonggi and Incheon. Third, department stores should attract tenants who can satisfy customers, given that key tenants are an important component of advanced shopping centers for department stores. Finally, the department store, a top-end shopping center, should be developed as a space with differentiated shopping, culture, dining out, and leisure services, such as "The Hyundai", which opened in 2021, to ensure future growth potential.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.262-273
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• 2020

Amending biopolymers such as β-glucan (BG) and Xanthan gum (XG) generally enhances soil strength by ionic and hydrogen bonds between soil particles. Thus, biopolymers have been studied as eco-friendly construction materials in levees. However, physiological responses of plants grown on soil amended with biopolymers are not fully understood. This study focuses on the effects of biopolymers on the growth of Camelina sativa L. (Camelina) under excess zinc (Zn) stress. The optimal concentrations of BG and XG were confirmed to have a 0.5% ratio in soil depending on the physiological parameters of Camelina under excess Zn stress. The Zn binding capacity of biopolymers was investigated using 1,5-diphenylthiocarbazone (DTZ). The reduction of Zn damage in Camelina was evaluated by analyzing the Zn content and expression of heavy metal ATPase (HMA) genes under excess Zn stress. Amendments of BG and XG improved Camelina growth under excess Zn stress. In DTZ staining and ICP-OES analysis, Camelina grown on BG and XG soil showed less Zn uptake than normal soil under excess Zn stress. The Zn-inducible CsHMA3 gene was not stimulated by either BG or XG amendment under excess Zn stress. Moreover, both BG and XG amendments in soil exhibit Zn-stress mitigation similar to that of Zn-tolerant CsHMA3 overexpres sed Camelina. These results indicate that biopolymer-amended soils may influence the prevention of Zn absorption in Camelina under excess Zn stress. Thus, BG and XG are proven to be suitable materials for levee construction and can protect plants from soil contamination by Zn.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2021

In order to confirm the impact of the Positive List System (PLS) being applied to all agricultural products from January 1, 2019, we analyzed 28,693 points of inspection-related data on agricultural products distributed in Gyeonggi-do from 2018 to 2020. The ratio of cases exceeding the standard for the total inspection performance was 1.0% in 2018, 1.2% in 2019, and 1.2% in 2020. Out of the 114 cases exceeding the standard in 2019, 55 were applied on a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 0.01 mg/kg, and out of the 115 cases exceeding the standard in 2020, 66 were applied on a MRL of 0.01 mg/kg. To improve this, it seems necessary to manage unintentional pollution, conventional use for unregistered crops, and illegal pesticides. Fluquinconazole detection resulted from unintentional contamination, and diazinon, chlorothalonil, and methabenzthiazuron detection resulted from conventional use in unregistered crops. Chinomethionat is a pesticide component that was discarded in the past and its current use has been attributed to the smuggling of pesticides. This study and future monitoring data can be used as reference data for system supplementation and on-site management reinforcement.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2020

Methanol synthesized from renewable hydrogen and captured CO2 has recently attracted great interest as a sustainable energy carrier for large-scale renewable energy storage. In this study, molten carbonate fuel cell's performance was investigated with the direct conversion of methanol into syngas inside the anode chamber of the cell. The internal reforming of methanol may significantly improve system efficiency since the heat generated from the electrochemical reaction can be used directly for the endothermic reforming reaction. The porous Ni-10 wt%Cr anode was sufficient for the methanol steam reforming reaction under the fuel cell operating condition. The direct supply of methanol into the anode chamber resulted in somewhat lower cell performance, especially at high current density. Recycling of the product gas into the anode gas inlet significantly improved the cell performance. The analysis based on material balance revealed that, with increasing current density and gas recycling ratio, the methanol steam reforming reaction rate likewise increased. A methanol conversion more significant than 90% was achieved with gas recycling. The results showed the feasibility of electricity and syngas co-production using the molten carbonate fuel cell. Further research is needed to optimize the fuel cell operating conditions for simultaneous production of electricity and syngas, considering both material and energy balances in the fuel cell.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-33
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• 2021

In this study, the possibility of discriminating Fire blight (FB) infection tested using the hyperspectral imagery. The reflectance of healthy and infected leaves and branches was acquired with 5 nm of full width at high maximum (FWHM) and then it was standardized to 10 nm, 25 nm, 50 nm, and 80 nm of FWHM. The standardized samples were divided into training and test sets at ratios of 7:3, 5:5 and 3:7 to find the optimal bands of FWHM by the decision tree analysis. Classification accuracy was evaluated using overall accuracy (OA) and kappa coefficient (KC). The hyperspectral reflectance of infected leaves and branches was significantly lower than those of healthy green, red-edge (RE) and near infrared (NIR) regions. The bands selected for the first node were generally 750 and 800 nm; these were used to identify the infection of leaves and branches, respectively. The accuracy of the classifier was higher in the 7:3 ratio. Four bands with 50 nm of FWHM (450, 650, 750, and 950 nm) might be reasonable because the difference in the recalculated accuracy between 8 bands with 10 nm of FWHM (440, 580, 640, 660, 680, 710, 730, and 740 nm) and 4 bands was only 1.8% for OA and 4.1% for KC, respectively. Finally, adding two bands (550 nm and 800 nm with 25 nm of FWHM) in four bands with 50 nm of FWHM have been proposed to improve the usability of multispectral image sensors with performing various roles in agriculture as well as detecting FB with other combinations of spectral bands.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.629-641
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• 2021

In this study, a two-dimensional numerical model (Nays2DH) was applied to analyze the process of morphological changes in the river channel bed depending on the changes in the amount of flooding after fully opening the Sejong weir, which was constructed upstream of the Geum River. For this, numerical simulations were performed by assuming the flow conditions, such as a non-uniform flow (NF), unsteady flows (single flood event, SF), and a continuous flood event (CF). Here, in the cases of the SF and CF, the normalized hydrograph was calculated from real flood events, and then the hydrograph was reconfigured by the peak flow discharge according to the scenario, and then it was employed as the flow discharge at the upstream boundary condition. In this study, to quantitatively evaluate the morphological changes, we analyzed the time changes in the bed deformation the bed relief index (BRI), and we compared the aerial photographs of the study area and the numerical simulation results. As simulation results of the NF, when the steady flow discharge increases, the ratio of lower width to depth decreases and the speed of bar migration increases. The BRI initially increases, but the amount of change decreased with time. In addition, when the steady flow discharge increases, the BRI increased. In the case of SF, the speed of bar migration decreased with the change of the flow discharge. In terms of the morphological response to the peak flood discharge, the time lag also indicated. In other words, in the SF, the change of channel bed indicates a phase lag with respect to the hydraulic condition. In the result of numerical simulation of CF, the speed of bar migration depending on the peak flood discharges decreased exponentially despite the repeated flood occurrences. In addition, as in the result of SF, the phase lag indicated, and the speed of bar migration decreased exponentially. The BRI increased with time changes, but the rate of increase in the BRI was modest despite the continuous peak flooding. Through this study, the morphological changes based on the hydrological characteristics of the river were analyzed numerically, and the methodology suggested that a quantitative prediction for the river bed change according to the flow characteristic can be applied to the field.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.79-93
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• 2022

In this study, an electronics industrial wastewater activated sludge model (e-ASM) to be used as a Water Digital Twin was calibrated based on real high-tech electronics industrial wastewater treatment measurements from lab-scale and pilot-scale reactors, and examined for its treatment performance, effluent quality prediction, and optimal process selection. For specialized modeling of a high-tech electronics industrial wastewater treatment system, the kinetic parameters of the e-ASM were identified by a sensitivity analysis and calibrated by the multiple response surface method (MRS). The calibrated e-ASM showed a high compatibility of more than 90% with the experimental data from the lab-scale and pilot-scale processes. Four electronics industrial wastewater treatment processes-MLE, A2/O, 4-stage MLE-MBR, and Bardenpo-MBR-were implemented with the proposed Water Digital Twin to compare their removal efficiencies according to various electronics industrial wastewater characteristics. Bardenpo-MBR stably removed more than 90% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and showed the highest nitrogen removal efficiency. Furthermore, a high concentration of 1,800 mg L^-1 T MAH influent could be 98% removed when the HRT of the Bardenpho-MBR process was more than 3 days. Hence, it is expected that the e-ASM in this study can be used as a Water Digital Twin platform with high compatibility in a variety of situations, including plant optimization, Water AI, and the selection of best available technology (BAT) for a sustainable high-tech electronics industry.