• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-105
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nonemergency, isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for high- or low-risk patients biases the assessment of the risk-adjusted mortality rates of hospitals. This study used 2002 National Health Insurance claims data for tertiary hospitals in Korea. The study sample consisted of 1,959 patients from 23 tertiary hospitals. The risk-adjustment model used the patients' biological, admission, and comorbidity data identified in the claims. The subjects were classified into high- and low-risk groups based on predicted surgical risk. The crude mortality rates and risk-adjusted mortality rates for low-risk, high-risk, and all patients in a hospital were compared based on the rank and the four intervals defined by quartile. Also, the crude mortality rates of the three groups were compared with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. The C-statistic (0.83) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test ($X^2$=11.47, p=0.18) indicated that the risk-adjustment model performed well. Presenting crude mortality rates with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted rates showed higher agreements among the three groups than using the rank or intervals of mortality rates defined by quartile in the hospital performance assessment. The crude mortality rates for the low-risk patients in 21 of the 23 hospitals were located on the same side of their 95% confidence intervals compared to that for all patients. High-risk patients and all patients differed at only one hospital. In conclusion, the impact of risk selection by hospital on the assessment results was the smallest when comparing the crude inpatient mortality rates of CABG patients with the 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. Given the increasing importance of quality improvements in Korean health policy, it will be necessary to use the appropriate method of releasing the hospital performance data to the public to minimize any unwanted impact such as risk-based hospital selection.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.2 no.2 s.3
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• pp.278-284
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• 1998

This paper describes a l0b CMOS A/D converter (ADC) for HDTV applications. The proposed ADC adopts a typical multi-step pipelined architecture. The proposed circuit design techniques are as fo1lows: A selective channel-length adjustment technique for a bias circuit minimizes the mismatch of the bias current due to the short channel effect by supply voltage variations. A power reduction technique for a high-speed two-stage operational amplifier decreases the power consumption of amplifiers with wide bandwidths by turning on and off bias currents in the suggested sequence. A typical capacitor scaling technique optimizes the chip area and power dissipation of the ADC. The proposed ADC is designed and fabricated in s 0.8 um double-poly double-metal n-well CMOS technology. The measured differential and integral nonlinearities of the prototype ADC show less than ${\pm}0.6LSB\;and\;{\pm}2.0LSB$, respectively. The typical ADC power consumption is 119 mW at 3 V with a 40 MHz sampling rate, and 320 mW at 5 V with a 50 MHz sampling rate.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.17 no.11 s.114
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• pp.1112-1119
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• 2006

In this paper, mutually coupled oscillator is employed to improve phase noise. Mutually coupled structure oscillator couples two oscillator's phase shifted output signals, that is fabricated using teflon board which has dielectric constant of 2.5 and Surface Mount Gallium Arsenide FET devices. And this paper proposed the structure to bias adjustment for the phase condition of mutually couples. When one oscillator has bias point of 4.4 V and 37 mA, it's output signal has phase noise characteristic of -96.37 dBc(@9305 MHz, offset frequency 100 KHz), -73.46 dBc(10 kHz). and After it's output signal mutually coupled the other's output signal that has bias point of 8.1 V and 69 mA, it has superior phase noise characteristic of -106.7 dBc(@9305 MHz, offset frequency 100 kHz), -81 dBc(10 kHz).

• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2018

Background: Several epidemiologic studies have suggested that the urine sodium excretion (USE) can be estimated in lieu of performing 24-hour urine collection. However, this method has not been verified in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or in an interventional study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of estimating USE in a prospective low-salt diet education cohort (ESPECIAL). Methods: A new formula was developed on the basis of morning fasting urine samples from 228 CKD patients in the ESPECIAL cohort. This formula was compared to the previous four formulas in the prediction of 24-hour USE after treatment with olmesartan and low-salt diet education. Results: Most previously reported formulas had low predictability of the measured USE based on the ESPECIAL cohort. Only the Tanaka formula showed a small but significant bias (9.8 mEq/day, P < 0.05) with a low correlation (r = 0.34). In contrast, a new formula showed improved bias (-0.1 mEq/day) and correlation (r = 0.569) at baseline. This formula demonstrated no significant bias (-1.2 mEq/day) with the same correlation (r = 0.571) after 8 weeks of treatment with olmesartan. Intensive low-salt diet education elicited a significant decrease in the measured USE. However, none of the formulas predicted this change in the measured urine sodium after diet adjustment. Conclusion: We developed a more reliable formula for estimating the USE in CKD patients. Although estimating USE is applicable in an interventional study, it may be unsuitable for estimating the change of individual sodium intake in a low-salt intervention study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.1210-1210
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• 2001

On farm analysis of protein, moisture and oil in cereals and oil seeds is quickly being adopted by Australian farmers. The benefits of being able to measure protein and oil in grains and oil seeds are several : $\square$ Optimize crop payments $\square$ Monitor effects of fertilization $\square$ Blend on farm to meet market requirements $\square$ Off farm marketing - sell crop with load by load analysis However farmers are not NIR spectroscopists and the process of calibrating instruments has to the duty of the supplier. With the potential number of On Farm analyser being in the thousands, then the task of calibrating each instrument would be impossible, let alone the problems encountered with updating calibrations from season to season. As such, NIR technology Australia has developed a mechanism for \ulcorner\ulcorner\ulcorner their range of Cropscan 2000G NIR analysers so that a single calibration can be transferred from the master instrument to every slave instrument. Whole grain analysis has been developed over the last 10 years using Near Infrared Transmission through a sample of grain with a pathlength varying from 5-30mm. A continuous spectrum from 800-1100nm is the optimal wavelength coverage fro these applications and a grating based spectrophotometer has proven to provide the best means of producing this spectrum. The most important aspect of standardizing NIB instruments is to duplicate the spectral information. The task is to align spectrum from the slave instruments to the master instrument in terms of wavelength positioning and then to adjust the spectral response at each wavelength in order that the slave instruments mimic the master instrument. The Cropscan 2000G and 2000B Whole Grain Analyser use flat field spectrographs to produce a spectrum from 720-1100nm and a silicon photodiode array detector to collect the spectrum at approximately 10nm intervals. The concave holographic gratings used in the flat field spectrographs are produced by a process of photo lithography. As such each grating is an exact replica of the original. To align wavelengths in these instruments, NIR wheat sample scanned on the master and the slave instruments provides three check points in the spectrum to make a more exact alignment. Once the wavelengths are matched then many samples of wheat, approximately 10, exhibiting absorbances from 2 to 4.5 Abu, are scanned on the master and then on each slave. Using a simple linear regression technique, a slope and bias adjustment is made for each pixel of the detector. This process corrects the spectral response at each wavelength so that the slave instruments produce the same spectra as the master instrument. It is important to use as broad a range of absorbances in the samples so that a good slope and bias estimate can be calculated. These Slope and Bias (S'||'&'||'B) factors are then downloaded into the slave instruments. Calibrations developed on the master instrument can then be downloaded onto the slave instruments and perform similarly to the master instrument. The data shown in this paper illustrates the process of calculating these S'||'&'||'B factors and the transfer of calibrations for wheat, barley and sorghum between several instruments.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.300-311
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• 2017

Purpose: There are many forest and outdoor programs being offered but systematic reviews of effects are lacking. This study was done to identify content, format, and strategies of forest therapy programs for elementary school students. Methods: Literature search using keywords in English and Korean was performed using 6 electronic databases in December 2016. Search participants were elementary school students and interventions conducted in the forest. Seventeen forest therapy studies were selected for evaluation. Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized study was used for quality assessment. Results: All studies were quasi-experimental designs. Forest therapy programs included various activities in forests such as experience of five senses, meditation in the forest, walking in the forest, ecological play, observation of animals and insects. All studies used psychosocial health variables and forest healing programs had positive effects on sociality, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, stress, aggression, anger, and school adjustment. Limitations of these studies were vague reporting of the study, lack of ethical review and rigorous research designs. Conclusion: Forest therapy for elementary school child can be an effective way to improve psychosocial health. Future studies with rigorous study designs are needed to assess long-term effects of forest therapy on physical and psychosocial health.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.327-334
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• 2015

Purpose: A falling-type weight sorter equipped with a load cell was developed to sort lightweight dried persimmons. The performance of the sorter was also evaluated. Methods: The electronic weight sorter for dried persimmon comprises a feeder part, a weight-measurement part, an indicator part, a carrier cup, a discharging part, and a driving part. The weight setting and zero-point adjustment are performed digitally for the convenience of users. For the experimental trials, 228 rubber-clay specimens (representative of dried persimmons) in the weight range of 24.73~99.56 g were manufactured for use in experiments to evaluate the performance of the sorter. Results: The average error of the weight measurements from three experimental trials was 1.655%, with a bias of -0.492 g, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ${\pm}0.808g$, and a coefficient of determination ($R^2$ ) of 0.997. Conclusions: The load-cell-based electronic dried-persimmon weight sorter developed in this study facilitates effective, precise, and convenient sorting of dried persimmons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

To compensate for the shortcomings of spirit leveling, research on the determination of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)-derived orthometric height has been actively carried out. However, most analyses were primarily performed inland. In this study, the influences of the arrangement of control points, observation duration, and geoid model on the accuracy of the GNSS-derived orthometric height have been analyzed to suggest the proper method to apply the determination of GNSS-derived orthometric height to the leveling loop disconnected area. As a result, it was found that two known points located near the unknown points need to be fixed in the leveling loop disconnected area. Further, 3 cm level of accuracy can be achieved if the GNSS survey is performed over two days, for four hours per day. In terms of the geoid model, the latest national geoid model should be applied rather than the EGM08 (Earth Gravitational Model 2008) to minimize regional bias and increase accuracy. Future research is necessary to apply the determination of the GNSS-derived orthometric height technique as a method to connect with the islands because the vertical reference system used inland and that used for the islands in Korea are still different.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.371-394
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• 2012

Accurate finite element (FE) models are needed in many applications of Civil Engineering such as health monitoring, damage detection, structural control, structural evaluation and assessment. Model accuracy depends on both the model structure (the form of the equations) and the model parameters (the coefficients of the equations), and can be generally improved through that process of experimental reconciliation known as model updating. However, modelling errors, including (i) errors in the model structure and (ii) errors in parameters excluded from adjustment, may bias the solution, leading to an updated model which replicates measurements but lacks physical meaning. In this paper, an application of ambient-vibration-based model updating to a large-scale benchmark prototype of a building structure is reported in which both types of error are met. The error in the model structure, originating from unmodelled secondary structural elements unexpectedly working as resonant appendages, is faced through a reduction of the experimental modal model. The error in the model parameters, due to the inevitable constraints imposed on parameters to avoid ill-conditioning and under-determinacy, is faced through a multi-model parameterization approach consisting in the generation and solution of a multitude of models, each characterized by a different set of updating parameters. Results show that modelling errors may significantly impair updating even in the case of seemingly simple systems and that multi-model reasoning, supported by physical insight, may effectively improve the accuracy and robustness of calibration.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2635-2638
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• 2012

Background: Many studies have investigated the association between glutathione S-transferase T 1 (GSTT1) null genotype and risk of prostate cancer, but the impact of GSTT1 null genotype in Asians is still unclear owing to inconsistencies across results. Thie present meta-analysis aimed to quantify the strength of the association between GSTT1 null genotype and risk of prostate cancer. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase and Wangfang databases for studies of associations between the GSTT1 null genotype and risk of prostate cancer in Asians and estimated summary odds ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: A total of 11 case-control studies with 3,118 subjects were included in this meta-analysis, which showed the GSTT1 null genotype to be significantly associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in Asians (random-effects OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.15-1.92, P = 0.002), also after adjustment for heterogeneity (fixed-effects OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.23-1.70, P < 0.001). No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusions: This meta-analysis of available data suggested the GSTT1 null genotype does contribute to increased risk of prostate cancer in Asians.