• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3087-3091
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• 2014

Purpose: To determine the utility of digital rectal examination (DRE), serum total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) estimation, and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Materials and Methods: All patients with abnormal DRE, TRUS, or serum tPSA >4ng/ml, in any combination, underwent TRUS-guided needle biopsy. Eight cores of prostatic tissue were obtained from different areas of the peripheral prostate and examined histopathologically for the nature of the pathology. Results: PCa was detected in 151 (50.3%) patients, remaining 149 (49.7%) showed benign changes with or without active prostatitis. PCa was detected in 13 (56.5%), 9 (19.1%), 26 (28.3%), and 103 (74.6%) of patients with tPSA <4 ng/ml, 4-10 ng/ml, 10-20 ng/ml and >20 ng/ml respectively. Only 13 patients with PCa had abnormal DRE and TRUS with serum PSA <4 ng/ml. The detection rate was highest in patients with tPSA >20 ng/ml. The association between tPSA level and cancer detection was statistically significant (p<0.01). Among 209 patients with abnormal DRE and raised serum PSA, PCa was detected in 128 (61.2%). Conclusions: The incidence of PCa increases with increasing serum level of tPSA. The overall screening and detection rate can be further improved by using DRE, TRUS and TRUS-guided prostate needle biopsies.

• KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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• v.5B no.4
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• pp.366-373
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• 2005

This paper presents two new circuit topologies of the dc busline side active resonant snubber assisted voltage source high frequency link soft switching PWM full-bridge dc-dc power converters acceptable for either utility ac 200V-rms or ac 400V-rms input grid. These high frequency switching dc-dc converters proposed in this paper are composed of a typical voltage source-fed full-bridge PWM inverter, high frequency transformer with center tap, high frequency diode rectifier with inductor input filter and dc busline side series switches with the aid of a dc busline parallel capacitive lossless snubber. All the active switches in the full-bridge arms as well as dc busline snubber can achieve ZCS turn-on and ZVS turn-off transition commutation with the aid of a transformer leakage inductive component and consequently the total switching power losses can be effectively reduced. So that, a high switching frequency operation of IGBTs in the voltage source full bridge inverter can be actually designed more than about 20 kHz. It is confirmed that the more the switching frequency of full-bridge soft switching inverter increases, the more soft switching PWM dc-dc converter with a high frequency transformer link has remarkable advantages for its power conversion efficiency and power density implementations as compared with the conventional hard switching PWM inverter type dc-dc power converter. The effectiveness of these new dc-dc power converter topologies can be proved to be more suitable for low voltage and large current dc-dc power supply as arc welding equipment from a practical point of view.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.91-110
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• 2012

In the modern management literature, knowledge has been recognized as a new strategic resource enabling a firm to create its competitiveness. Shipping companies under fierce competitive structure need to pay attentions to the utility of knowledge management. A shipping firm may develop its unique service capability by classifying, sharing, and transferring the data, information and knowledge obtained from both inside and outside its global service network. The current study attempts to analyze influential relationships between liner shipping firms' knowledge management and service capabilities. In order to achieve this goal, this study designed a knowledge chain model measuring shipping companies' knowledge management levels and tested its validity and reliability based on a total of 80 replied questionnaires from national and foreign liners. The empirical result presents that supportive and primary activities composing a knowledge chain could exert significant positive influences on the enforcement of shipping service capabilities. This research shows that the utility of knowledge management is adoptable in the maritime industry, and recommends that shipping firms should recognize strategic importance of knowledge and actively pursue knowledge management at an entire firm level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.116-129
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• 2009

This study is to enhance the provincial leisure plans through various programs and infrastructure facilities and to establish a network of natural leisure areas in Gyeonggi-do. According to the result, first, in terms of analyzing the locations of natural leisure areas by types, the rest of urban parks is formed in the Capital area outside Seoul as centering around the central area. Moreover, with regard to the rest of forest and the rest of natural ecology learning, the area of the detention exceeds the total area of Gyeonggi-do. The rest of valleys and swamps showed a dotted pattern of the detention area while the rest of tideland and fishing village experience indicated a distribution of the detention area along the West Coast as an axis. Second, according to result of analyzing the accessibility of natural leisure areas by types, the rest of valleys and swamps showed the highest accessibility among the natural leisure areas : the rest of natural ecology learning had the medium level of accessibility; the rest of forest indicated the lowest accessibility. Therefore, it is necessary to create more leisure areas concerning the futures demands. In addition, they should be constructed in the places adjacent to the urban district area exhibiting higher usability and accessibility. In the places where there are many natural leisure area with higher utility, management plans should be deliberated as well. Based on the result of analyzing the rest of valleys and swamps and the rest of tideland and fishing village experience, it was found that the natural leisure area should improve the quality of water intensively and hydrophile property and create hydrophilic spaces. The development of natural leisure areas need to be carried out under the principle of environmental protection while considering historic sites and nearby rivers and lakes. Moreover, water leisure programs should be developed actively as well with further utilization of water resources in order to enhance the usability of natural leisure.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.439-446
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• 2011

Purpose: Early diagnosis is the primary method aimed at controlling breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze some factors affecting the performance of mammography screening among women with a family history of breast cancer in Korea. Methods: This study applied a descriptive design method through structured self-report questionnaires. The Care Seeking Behavior Theory provided a theoretical framework for the study. Factors measured in this study represent demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables including anxiety, barriers, utility, habits, perception, and facilitators. A total of 212 participants, of at least 20 years old, were sampled from April 8, 2010 to March 31, 2011. The data was analyzed by logistic regression method using the Statistical Package for the Social Science 18.0 software. Results: Of the 212 participants, 122 women (57.5%) went through mammography screening. The results of the analysis showed that (a) age (Odds Ratio [OR] =1.10, p<.001), (b) facilitating influences (OR=1.83, p=.008), (c) perception of mammography importance (OR=1.92, p=.011), (d) barriers to mammography (OR=0.60, p=.031), and (e) utility of mammography (OR=2.01, p=.050) significantly affect mammography screening. Conclusion: The results underscore the impact that psychosocial variables in obtaining mammography have on adherence to screening. Women with a family history of breast cancer should be given accurate information and recommendation about mammography by healthcare provider and a regular source of healthcare.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.116-120
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• 2019

Objectives: This study was conducted to re-validate the clinical efficacy of the Korean Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Rating Scale (K-AARS), which is a self-report scale for ADHD in adults, and to determine the clinical utility and cut-off scores of K-AARS. Methods: The participants were 135 drug naïve adults with ADHD and 144 healthy controls. To diagnose ADHD based on the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, two board-certified pediatric psychiatrists interviewed the participants and completed the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. K-AARS was applied to all participants. K-AARS comprises six clinical subscales, one impairment subscale, and one driving behavior subscale. The receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to calculate the cut-off scores of K-AARS. Results: All subscale scores, including six clinical subscale, impairment subscale, and driving behavior subscale scores, were found to be significant in distinguishing adults with ADHD from healthy controls. The sensitivity and specificity of the six clinical subscales were 63.0-77.0% and 66.7-79.9%, respectively. The combined total score of the six clinical subscales, had a sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 79.9%. Conclusion: The discriminative power of K-AARS for the diagnosis of ADHD in adults was excellent, and K-AARS and the empirical diagnosis of adults can be useful in diagnosing ADHD in adulthood.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.146-152
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• 2021

This study aims to develop a protocol for the visualized memory training program using the picture book and evaluate its clinical utility. A total of 5 sessions were conducted for 5 elderly people with mild dementia. Rey-Kim II, GDS-Short, word test were conducted to observe its effectiveness before and after the program. As a results overall memory was improved but was not statistically significant. Overall depression was also improved and statistically significant. The effect of word memory varies depending on individuals' degenerative conditions. In conclusion, the visualized memory training program using the picture book is effective in improving the memory to some extent and had an emotional effect of reducing depression in mild dementia. In the future it is necessary to research its effects in larger population.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 2017

Resource plants are important and have strong potential for a variety of utilities as crops or pharmaceutical materials. However, most resource plants remain wild and thus their utility for breeding and biotechnology is limited. Molecular markers are useful to initiate genetic study and molecular breeding for these understudied resource plants. We collected various wild collections of Peucedanum japonicum which is indigenous resource plants utilized as oriental medicine and leafy vegetables in Korea. In this study, we produced two independent whole genome sequences (WGSs) from two collections and identified large scale polymorphic simple sequence repeat (pSSR) based on our pipeline to develop SSR markers based on comparison of two WGSs. We identified a total of 452 candidate pSSR contigs. To confirm the accuracy and utility of pSSR, we designed ten SSR primer pairs and successfully applied those to seven collections of P. japonicum. The WGS and pSSR candidates identified in this study will be useful resource for genetic research and breeding purpose for the valuable resource plant, P. japonicum.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.563-569
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• 2020

Presenting the impact of meteorological disasters departs from the traditional weather forecasting approach for meteorological phenomena. It is important to provide impact forecasts so that precautions against disruption and damage can be taken. Countries such as the United States, the U.K., and France already conduct impact forecasting for heavy rain, heavy snow, and cold weather. This study improves and applies forecasts of the impact of heavy rain among various weather phenomena in accordance with domestic conditions. A total of 33 impact factors for heavy rain were constructed per 1 km grids, and four impact levels (minimal, minor, significant, and severe) were calculated using standard normal distribution. Estimated criteria were used as indicators to estimate heavy rain risk impacts for 6 categories (residential, commercial, utility, community, agriculture, and transport) centered on people, facilities, and traffic.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.76-84
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• 2022

Purpose: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has been a useful tool for novel gene discovery of various disease categories, further increasing the diagnostic yield. This study aimed to investigate the clinical utility of WES prospectively in undiagnosed genetic diseases. Materials and Methods: WES tests were performed on 110 patients (age range, 0-28 years) with suspected rare genetic diseases. WES tests were performed at a single reference laboratory and the variants reported were reviewed by clinical geneticists, pediatricians, neurologists, and laboratory physicians. Results: The patients' symptoms varied with abnormalities in the head or neck, including facial dysmorphism, being the most common, identified in 85.4% of patients, followed by abnormalities in the nervous system (83.6%). The average number of systems manifesting phenotypic abnormalities per patient was 3.9±1.7. The age at presentation was 2.1±2.7 years old (range, 0-15 years), and the age at WES testing was 6.7±5.3 years (range, 0-28 years). In total, WES test reported 100 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants or variants of uncertain significance for 79 out of 110 probands (71.8%). Of the 79 patients with positive or inconclusive calls, 55 (50.0%) patients were determined to have good genotype-phenotype correlations after careful review. Further clinical reassessment and family member testing determined 45 (40.9%) patients to have been identified with a molecular diagnosis. Conclusion: This study showed a 40.9% diagnostic yield for WES test for a heterogeneous patient cohort with suspected rare genetic diseases. WES could be the feasible genetic test modality to overcome the diversity and complexity of rare disease diagnostics.