• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2019

Objectives : This clinical trial is performed to investigate the effect of improving the hypersensitivity reaction and the safety of powdered ethanol extract Codonopsis lanceolata (S. et Z.) Trautv. for allergic patients. Methods : This study was randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. 60 allergic rhinitis subjects were randomly assigned to Treatment group(n=30) and Control group(n=30). They were received the test substance or placebo in their $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ visit, and took it once a day, 1 powder bag per 1 time, for 8 weeks. The freeze dried powder of Codonopsis lanceolata (S. et Z.) Trautv. was mixed with 30% ethanol and the filtrate was collected thrice with constant stirring of the mixture. The placebo was prepared in the same form as the test substance by replacing with corn starch. Total Nasal Symptom Score(TNSS) questionnaires and laboratory tests were performed at the screening and last visit to evaluate the efficacy. And to assess safety, vital signs and adverse events were confirmed at every visit. Statistical analysis about the result was performed using SAS 9.4. Results : In treatment group, there was a significant decrease in B cell after taking the test substance(p<0.005). And there was a statistically significant difference between groups(p<0.005). Changes in nasal symptoms were not statistically significant between groups, and both groups showed statistically significant differences before and after the test(p<0.0001). Also there were no adverse events associated with the clinical trial product. Conclusions : This clinical trial showed that Codonopsis lanceolata (S. et Z.) Trautv. extract was helpful in improving the hypersensitivity reaction in allergic patients without significant side effects.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.134-142
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• 2021

This paper proposes a probabilistic method in analyzing timing measurements to determine the periodicity of real-time tasks. The proposed method fills a gap in existing techniques, which either concentrate on the estimation of worst-case execution times, or do not consider the stochastic behavior of the real-time scheduler. Our method is based on the Z-test statistical analysis which calculates the probability of the measured period to fall within a user-defined standard deviation limit. The distribution of the measured period should satisfy two conditions: its center (statistical mean) should be equal to the scheduled period of the real-time task, and that it should be symmetrical with most of the samples focused on the center. To ensure that these requirements are met, a data adjustment process, which omits any outliers in the expense of accuracy, is presented. Then, the Z-score of the distribution according to the user-defined deviation limit provides a probability which determines the periodicity of the real-time task. Experiments are conducted to analyze the timing measurements of real-time tasks based on real-time Linux extensions of Xenomai and RT-Preempt. The results indicate that the proposed method is able to provide easier interpretation of the periodicity of real-time tasks which are valuable especially in comparing the performance of various real-time systems.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.245-258
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• 1997

Cephalometric radiographs, frontal photographs and profile silhouette phogographs of 68 young adult female who were model or were recommended to have esthetic face were used in this study. 7 Students in department of Art of Kyungpook national university and 15 orthodontists estimated profile slides which were made of 3 Profile silhouettes in parallel with FH plane. Profile silhouettes were made of soft tissue profile line of cephalometric radiograph. Only orthodontists estimated frontal photographs. Students and orthodontists score 9 in excellent case, score 7 in good case, score 5 in average case, score 3 in poor case. Correlation analysis between orthodontists' esthetic concept and Artists' esthetic concept, between frontal view esthetics and profile view esthetics which estimated by orthotontists, between profile view esthetics and profile measurements which consisted of measurements of 38 female who were scored above 5 mean score in profile silhouette by orthodontists were done. And the finding in this study indicated the following 1. Correlation between orthodontists' esthetic concept and Artists' esthetic concept in profile silhouette was significant (r=0.67,P=0.0001). 2. Correlation between frontal view esthetics and profile view esthetics which estimated by orthodontist was significant (r=0.26,P=0.0381). 3. Measurements which had significant correlation between profile measurements and profile view esthetics wer Na-Pog, to N', BNV to Pog', BNV/B' -Pog', Ls-Li-Pog', Li-B'-Pog' Z angle(P<0.05). 4 Mean and standard deviation of profile measurements of 38 female were obtained.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1149-1154
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• 2014

Background: In Malaysia, data from the Malaysian Health Ministry showed colorectal cancer (CRC) to be the second most common type of cancer in 2007-2009, after breast cancer. The same was apparent after looking at males and females cases separately. In the present study, the Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to describe the distribution of CRC cases in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, according to socio-demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity and district). Materials and Methods: This retrospective review concerned data for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the years 1995 to 2011 collected from the Wilayah Persekutuan Health Office, taken from the cancer notification form (NCR-2), and patient medical records from the Surgical Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). A total of 146 cases were analyzed. All the data collected were analysed using ArcGIS version 10.0 and SPSS version 19.0. Results: Patients aged 60 to 69 years accounted for the highest proportion of cases (34.2%) and males slightly predominated 76 (52.1%), Chinese had the highest number of registered cases at 108 (74.0%) and staging revealed most cases in the 3rd and 4th stages. Kernel density analysis showed more cases are concentrated up in the northern area of Petaling and Kuala Lumpur subdistricts. Spatial global pattern analysis by average nearest neighbour resulted in nearest neighbour ratio of 0.75, with Z-score of -5.59, p value of <0.01 and the z-score of -5.59. Spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I) showed clustering significant with p<0.01, Z score 3.14 and Moran's Index of 0.007. When mapping clusters with hotspot analysis (Getis-Ord Gi), hot and cold spots were identified. Hot spot areas fell on the northeast side of KL. Conclusions: This study demonstrated significant spatial patterns of cancer incidence in KL. Knowledge about these spatial patterns can provide useful information to policymakers in the planning of screening of CRC in the targeted population and improvement of healthcare facilities to provide better treatment for CRC patients.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.313-321
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• 1996

Our laboratoy has been participated in Proficiency Analytical Testing (PAT) program which is operated by the Americal Industrial Hygiene Association in cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The program is designed to assist a laboratory improve its analytical performance by providing samples on a quarterly basis, evaluating the results, and providing reports on how well the laboratory performed. Evaluation of the results reported here covers five rounds of the PAT program (round 121~round 125). The way a laboratory is evaluated by PAT program is as follows: 1) There is no overall proficiency rating given to a laboratory. 2) A proficiency rating is given for each type of analyze (i.e., metals, silica, asbestos, solvents) that a laboratory analyzed. 3) Proficiency is rated acceptable ("A") if Z score lies between -3 and +3, and unacceptable if Z score is either higher than +3 ("H") or lower than -3 ("Lo"). Z score = (reported data - reference value) / standard deviation 4) For a laboratory to be rated proficient it must either have had no outliers over the most recent two rounds or of the samples actually analyzed over the past year (past four rounds), 75 % or more of the analyze sample results must be acceptable. According to the above rating criteria of PAT program, performance of metals including cadmium, lead, chromium and zinc, and asbestos sample analyses were rated acceptable ("A"). For silica analyses, all samples except one out of four samples in round 122 was rated high("H") were acceptable showing 95 % of ing 95 % of acceptance rate (19/20) throughout the rounds. Analyses of organic solvents were done on 52 samples in 9 types including methanol(MOH), 1,1,1-trichloroethane(MCM), tetrachloroethylene(PCE), trichloroethylene(TCE), benzene(BNZ), o-xylene(OXY), toluene(TOL), chloroform(CFM), 1,2-dichloroethane(DCE). All samples analyzed were rated acceptable except 2 samples that were rated high; one out of each four MCM and TCE samples in round 121, and one that was low out of four o-xylene analyses in round 122 indicating 94 % of acceptance rate(49/52) throughout the rounds. According to the laboratory rating criteria, our laboratory is rated proficient so far for all types of contaminants.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.183-192
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• 2007

The various environmental regulation directives such as RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products) and WEEE (waste from electrical and electronic equipments) are practically used as the technical barrier in international trade (TBT) of vehicles and electrical and electronic products recently. Regarding such an environmental regulation, Korea Research Institute of Standards Science (KRISS) organized a proficiency testing scheme to establish the reliability of measurement results produced by the relevant research institutes and test laboratories in Korea. Participants were 31 laboratories related to production of the electrical and electronic equipments and mobile vehicles. Two polypropylene samples of pellet type were employed as the proficiency testing materials (PTMs). Cadmium and lead were the analytes chosen among six components regulated in European Union (EU) RoHS directive. The PTMs were sent to the participants by post on September $1^{st}$ 2006, and deadline for results submission were October $10^{th}$ 2006. The results of each laboratory were evaluated in comparison with KRISS reference values using Robustic Z-score and Youden plot methods. The results of the various sample digestion methods were also compared. Most of participants reported good agreement within 10 % range of reference values. However, results from several laboratories showed significant biases from reference values. These laboratories should establish the quality assurance system for improvement of the measurement reliability.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.158-167
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• 2024

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of vertebral fracture (VF) in children with chronic liver disease (CLD) with and without liver transplantation (LT) and to determine the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients aged 3-21 years with CLD both before and after LT were enrolled in the study. Lateral thoracolumbar spine radiographs were obtained and assessed for VF using Mäkitie's method. Clinical and biochemical data were collected. Results: We enrolled 147 patients (80 females; median age 8.8 years [interquartile range 6.0-11.8]; 110 [74.8%] in the LT group and 37 [25.2%] in the non-LT group). VF was identified in 21 patients (14.3%): 17/110 (15.5%) in the LT group and 4/37 (10.8%) in the non-LT group (p=0.54). Back pain was noted in only three patients with VF. In the univariate analysis, a height z-score below -2.0 (p=0.010), pre-LT hepatopulmonary syndrome (p=0.014), elevated serum direct and total bilirubin levels (p=0.037 and p=0.049, respectively), and vitamin D deficiency at 1-year post-LT (p=0.048) were associated with VF in the LT group. In multivariate analysis, height z-score below -2.0 was the only significant associated factor (odds ratio, 5.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-23.76; p=0.012) for VF. All VFs in the non-LT group were reported in males. Conclusion: In children with CLD, VF is common before and after LT. Most patients with VF are asymptomatic. Screening for VF should be considered in patients with a height z-score below -2.0 after LT.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.341-349
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• 2019

Background: A self-assessment questionnaire, the GERD-Questionnaire (GERD-Q) was used to determine the prevalence of GERD in adolescents, describe the related factors, and determine the impact on quality of life (QoL). Methods: The incidence of GERD was evaluated using the GERD-Q in adolescents aged 12-18 years. The Pediatric Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptom Questionnaire and Quality of Life Questionnaire (PGSQ-A) for adolescents were additionally administered. Some factors considered related to GERD were also evaluated. Results: The 520 adolescents were included. The prevalence of suspected GERD, according to a GERD-Q cutoff score of ${\geq}7$ was 32.9%, and those drinking soda were 1.7 times more likely to have GERD (95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.2; p<0.001). However, soda consumption was not a risk factor for development of GERD symptoms. Applying a cutoff score of ${\geq}8$, only 10.9% of the participants had a positive GERD score, but the association with soda consumption persisted. The median PGSQ-A score in subjects suspected of GERD was 8 (range 0-37) on weekends and 1 (range 0-17) during weekdays (p<0.001) compared to those not suspected of GERD, with a median of 2 (range 0-27) during weekends and 0 (range 0-10) during weekdays. Heartburn, regurgitation, and extraesophageal symptoms correlated significantly with QoL (p<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of suspected GERD in adolescents was 32.9% or 10.9%, depending on the cutoff score used. There was a statistically significant difference in PGSQ-A scores between the subjects suspected or not of GERD, indicating an impaired QoL.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.64-67
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of thread-embedding therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. There were 20 patients treated with thread-embedding therapy at various acupoints on the muscles around the knee. Gender, age, location, morbidity period, numeric rating scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index, improvement result, side effects, and patient's satisfaction were investigated. After the treatment, the NRS score (z = -4.07, p < 0.001) and WOMAC (p < 0.001) indices decreased in most patients. The NRS score decreased by more than 2 points in 95% of the patients. The WOMAC index decreased by 6-12 points. There were no serious side effects, although bruising, pain, and edema were observed. Overall, 85% of the patients felt satisfied with the thread-embedding therapy. These findings suggested that thread-embedding therapy was effective and may be used widely for knee osteoarthritis.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2002.06d
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• pp.275-278
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• 2002

Sharpness enhancement, which strengthen the edge(high frequency) of image, is widely studied for image processing research area. In this paper, psychophysical experiment is conducted by the 20 observers with simple linear unsharp masking for sharpness enhancement. The experimental results extracted using z-score analysis and linear regression suggests observer preferable sharpness enhancement method for digital television.