• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.368-378
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• 2021

Purpose: When patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) undergo non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection requiring gastrectomy (NC-ESD-RG), additional medical resources and expenses are required for surgery. To reduce this burden, predictive model for NC-ESD-RG is required. Materials and Methods: Data from 2,997 patients undergoing ESD for 3,127 forceps biopsy-proven differentiated-type EGCs (2,345 and 782 in training and validation sets, respectively) were reviewed. Using the training set, the logistic stepwise regression analysis determined the independent predictors of NC-ESD-RG (NC-ESD other than cases with lateral resection margin involvement or piecemeal resection as the only non-curative factor). Using these predictors, a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG was developed. Performance of the predictive model was examined internally with the validation set. Results: Rate of NC-ESD-RG was 17.3%. Independent pre-ESD predictors for NC-ESD-RG included moderately differentiated or papillary EGC, large tumor size, proximal tumor location, lesion at greater curvature, elevated or depressed morphology, and presence of ulcers. A risk-score was assigned to each predictor of NC-ESD-RG. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting NC-ESD-RG was 0.672 in both training and validation sets. A risk-score of 5 points was the optimal cut-off value for predicting NC-ESD-RG, and the overall accuracy was 72.7%. As the total risk score increased, the predicted risk for NC-ESD-RG increased from 3.8% to 72.6%. Conclusions: We developed and validated a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG based on pre-ESD variables. Our risk-scoring system can facilitate informed consent and decision-making for preoperative treatment selection between ESD and surgery in patients with EGC.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.64-68
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• 2011

Purpose: The normal values for lung resistance and lung capacity of children, as determined by impulse oscillometry (IOS), are different for children of different ethnicities. However, reference values there is no available reference value for Korean preschool children have yet to be determined. The aim of the present study was to determine the normal ranges of IOS parameters in Korean preschool children. Methods: A total of 133 healthy Korean preschool children were selected from 639 children (aged 3 to 6 years) who attended kindergarten in Seongnam, Gyeonggi province, Korea. Healthy children were defined according to the European Respiratory Society (ERS) criteria. All subjects underwent lung function tests using IOS. The relationships between IOS value (respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) at 5 and 10 Hz and resonance frequency (RF)) and age, height, and weight were analyzed by simple linear and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The IOS success rate was 89.5%, yielding data on 119 children. Linear regression identified height as the best predictor of Rrs and Xrs. Using stepwise multiple linear regressions based on age, height, and weight, we determined regression equations and coefficients of determination ($R^2$) for boys ($Rrs_5=1.934-0.009{\times}Height$, $R^2$=12.1%; $Xrs_5=0.774+0.006{\times}Height-0.002{\times}Age$, $R^2$=20.2% and for girls $(Rrs_5=2.201-0.012{\times}Height$, $R^2$=18.2%; $Xrs_5=-0.674+0.004{\times}Height$, $R^2$=10.5%). Conclusion: This study provides reference values for IOS measurements of normal Korean preschool children. These provide a basis for the diagnosis and monitoring of preschool children with a variety of respiratory diseases.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.53-59
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• 2018

Purpose - This study examines the effect of control-ownership wedge on stock crash risk. In Korea, controlling shareholders have exclusive control rights compared to their cash flow rights. With increasing disparity, controlling shareholders abuse their power and extract private benefits at the expense of the minority shareholders. Managers who are controlling shareholders of the companies tend not to disclose critical information that would prevent them from pursuing private interests. They accumulate negative information in the firm. When the accumulated bad news crosses a tipping point, it will be suddenly released to the market at once, resulting in an abrupt decline in stock prices. We predict that stock price crash likelihood due to information opaqueness increases as the wedge increases. Research design, data, and methodology - 831 KOSPI-listed firm-year observations are from KisValue database from 2005 to 2011. Control-ownership wedge is measured as the ratio (UCO -UCF)/UCO where UCF(UCO) is the ultimate cash-flow(control) rights of the largest controlling shareholder. Dependent variable CRASH is a dummy variable that equals one if the firm has at least 1 crash week during a year, and zero otherwise. Logistic regression is used to examine the relationship between control-ownership wedge and stock price crash risk. Results - Using a sample of KOSPI-listed firms in KisValue database for the period 2005-2011, we find that stock price crash risk increases as the disparity increases. Specifically, we find that the coefficient of WEDGE is significantly positive, supporting our prediction. The result implies that as controlling shareholders' ownership increases, controlling shareholders tend to withhold bad news. Conclusions - Our results show that agency problems arising from the divergence between control rights and cash flow rights increase the opaqueness of accounting information. Eventually, the accumulated bad news is released all at once, leading to stock price crashes. It could be seen that companies with high control-ownership wedge are likely to experience future stock price crashes. Our study is related to a broader literature that examined the effect of the control-ownership wedge on stock markets. Our findings suggest that the disparity is a meaningful predictor for future stock price crash risk. The results are expected to provide useful implications for firms, regulators, and investors.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.61-67
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• 2018

Purpose: To evaluate the association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and occurrence of aspiration pneumonia in drug intoxication (DI) patients in the emergency department (ED) and to evaluate the relationship between NLR and length of hospital admission/intensive care unit (ICU) admission Methods: A total of 466 patients diagnosed with DI in the ED from January 2016 to December 2017 were included in the analysis. The clinical and laboratory results, including NLR, were evaluated as variables. NLR was calculated as the absolute neutrophil count/absolute lymphocyte count. To evaluate the prognosis of DI, data on the development of aspiration pneumonia were obtained. Also, we evaluated the relationship between NLR and length of hospital admission and between NLR and length of ICU admission. Statistically, multivariate logistic regression analyses, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and Pearson's correlation (${\rho}$) were performed. Results: Among the 466 DI patients, 86 (18.5%) developed aspiration pneumonia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed NLR as an independent factor in predicting aspiration pneumonia (odds ratio, 1.7; p=0.001). NLR showed excellent predictive performance for aspiration pneumonia (areas under the ROC curves, 0.815; cut-off value, 3.47; p<0.001) with a sensitivity of 86.0% and a specificity of 72.6%. No correlations between NLR and length of hospital admission (${\rho}=0.195$) and between NLR and length of ICU admission (${\rho}=0.092$) were observed. Conclusion: The NLR is a simple and effective marker for predicting the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia in DI patients. Emergency physicians should be alert for aspiration pneumonia in DI patients with high NLR value (>3.47).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.301-307
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• 2008

Background: The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is an activating receptor that is expressed on the surface of neutrophils and mature monocytes when stimulated with several microbial components, which can amplify the inflammatory response. This study analyzed the prognostic value of the sTREM-1 levels in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: The bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and blood was collected prospectively from 32 patients with ARDS, 15 survivors and 17 nonsurvivors. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure the sTREM-1. The following data was obtained: APACHE II score, Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS), BAL fluid analysis, C-reative protein. Mortality in the ICU was defined as the end point. Results: The serum sTREM-1 level was significantly higher in the nonsurvivors than survivors ($54.3{\pm}10.3pg/ml$ vs. $22.7{\pm}2.3pg/ml$, p<0.05). The sTREM-1 level in the serum, but not in the BAL fluid, was an independent predictor of the ICU mortality (OR: 22.051, 95% CI: 1.780~273.148, p<0.016), and a cut-off value of ${\geq}33pg/ml$ yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 93%. Conclusion: The serum sTREM-1 level may be a useful predictor of the outcome of ARDS patients.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.656-667
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• 2019

This study is a descriptive research to grasp the effects of job stress on turnover intention and to confirm the mediating effect of organizational commitment according to the extent of job stress, organizational commitment and turnover intention in the relations between job stress and Turnover Intention of nurses working in general hospitals. Method: The subjects of this study were 199 nurses are working in general hospitals, that have more than 200 beds and less than 400 beds, located in Gwangju. I surveyed them using a structured questionnaire for collecting data from Sep. 01, 2017 to Sep. 20, 2017. The collected data were analyzed by the frequency, the percentage, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's Test, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, Multiple Regression Analysis and Sobel Results: In the first step, job stress as an independent variable had a statistically significant effect on organizational commitment(${\beta}=-.321$, p<.001). In the second step, job stress, an independent variable, also had an important effect on turnover intention as a dependent variable(${\beta}=.389$, p<.001). Job stress and organizational commitment were meaningful predictor variables of turnover intention in the third step. The explanatory power of two variables was 45.5%. The value ${\beta}$ of job stress in the third step was .203(p<.001) which was smaller than its value ${\beta}$,.389(p<.001), in the second step. That meant organizational commitment had the mediating effect on turnover intention. The Sobel Test was conducted to verify the significance of the extent of the mediating effects of organizational commitment. The test result was that the value Z was -3.694 and the mediating effect of organizational commitment was significant on the relation between job stress and turnover intention(p<.002). Conclusion: this study is expected be useful to find ways to reduce subjects' turnover intention by decreasing their job stress, increasing their organizational commitment and developing intervention programs as basic data.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.281-286
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• 2023

We aimed to find out how teaching ethics and empathy affect the perception of children's rights with 297 pre-service early childhood teachers enrolled in the Department of Early Childhood Education at universities located in Busan. Through this, the purpose of this study was to present basic data for the development of a character development program for a high-quality early childhood teacher training institution. We derived the following research results. First, as a result of examining the degree of recognition of pre-service early childhood teachers' teaching ethics, empathy, and awareness of children's rights, the average value was high in the order of teaching ethics, awareness of children's rights, and empathy. Second, there was a positive correlation between pre-service early childhood teachers' empathy ability, teaching ethics and awareness of children's rights, and empathy ability and awareness of children's rights. Third, as a result of examining the relative effects of teaching ethics and empathy of pre-service early childhood teachers on the recognition of children's rights, social ethics was found to be the strongest predictor among teaching ethics. In this study, we identified that teaching ethics and empathy are effective in various approaches to promote awareness of children's rights in pre-service early childhood teachers. And the results of this study provides the basic data for the character development of desirable teachers that pre-service early childhood teachers should have.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.182-196
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• 2023

Accurate and timely estimation of crop yields is crucial for various purposes, including global food security planning and agricultural policy development. Remote sensing techniques, particularly using vegetation indices (VIs), have show n promise in monitoring and predicting crop conditions. However, traditional VIs such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) have limitations in capturing rapid changes in vegetation photosynthesis and may not accurately represent crop productivity. An alternative vegetation index, the near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv), has been proposed as a better predictor of crop yield due to its strong correlation with gross primary productivity (GPP) and its ability to untangle confounding effects in canopies. In this study, we investigated the potential of NIRv in estimating crop yield, specifically for corn and soybean crops in major crop-producing regions in 14 states of the United States. Our results demonstrated a significant correlation between the peak value of NIRv and crop yield/area for both corn and soybean. The correlation w as slightly stronger for soybean than for corn. Moreover, most of the target states exhibited a notable relationship between NIRv peak and yield, with consistent slopes across different states. Furthermore, we observed a distinct pattern in the yearly data, where most values were closely clustered together. However, the year 2012 stood out as an outlier in several states, suggesting unique crop conditions during that period. Based on the established relationships between NIRv peak and yield, we predicted crop yield data for 2022 and evaluated the accuracy of the predictions using the Root Mean Square Percentage Error (RMSPE). Our findings indicate the potential of NIRv peak in estimating crop yield at the county level, with varying accuracy across different counties.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.288-297
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• 2024

Objectives: This study explored the prevalence and predictors of alcohol and cannabis co-use among 9263 Filipino adolescents, using data from the 2019 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the GSHS, targeting adolescents aged 13-17 years and excluding cases with incomplete data on alcohol and cannabis use. Our analysis employed the bivariate chi-square test of independence and multivariable logistic regression using Stata version 18 to identify significant predictors of co-use, with a p-value threshold set at 0.05. Results: The weighted prevalence of co-users was 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4 to 5.3). Significant predictors included male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.50; 95% CI, 3.31 to 6.10; p<0.001) and being in a lower academic year, specifically grade 7 (aOR, 4.08; 95% CI, 2.39 to 6.99; p<0.001) and grade 8 (aOR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.30 to 3.72; p=0.003). Poor sleep quality was also a significant predictor (aOR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.44; p<0.001), as was a history of attempted suicide (aOR, 5.31; 95% CI, 4.00 to 7.06; p<0.001). Physical inactivity was associated with lower odds of co-use (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.62; p<0.001). Additionally, non-attendance of physical education classes (aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.05; p=0.021), infrequent unapproved parental checks (aOR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.80; p=0.024), and lower parental awareness of free-time activities (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.87; p=0.005) were associated with higher odds of co-use. Factors not significantly linked to co-use included age group, being in grade 9, always feeling lonely, having no close friends, being bullied outside school, and whether a parent or guardian understood the adolescent's worries. Conclusions: The findings highlight the critical need for comprehensive interventions in the Philippines, addressing not only physical inactivity and parental monitoring but also focusing on sex, academic grade, participation in physical education classes, sleep quality, and suicide attempt history, to effectively reduce alcohol and cannabis co-use among adolescents.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.213-221
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• 2008

Objective: To evaluate predictor of IVF outcomes following single embryo transfer in patients with decreased ovarian reserve. Methods: A retrospective review was performed in 919 IVF cycles with elevated basal serum FSH (${\geq}12\;mIU/mL$), the number of retrieved oocytes ${\geq}4$ and serum $E_2$ concentration on hCG day <500 pg/ml between Jan. 1996 and Dec. 2006. Two hundred thirty five IVF cycles following single embryo transfer were included. Pregnancy rates and live birth rates was evaluated according to maternal age, serum $E_2$ on hCG day, basal FSH level, the number of blastomere on day 3 ET, stimulation protocol, the number of cycles of ET. Statistical analysis was used SPSS 12.0 program. Results: OPU cancellation rates were 25.6% (235 cycles), OPU failure rates were 18.5% (170 cycles), embryo transfer cancellation rates were 14.0% (129 cycles). Pregnancy rates following single embryo transfer was 8.1% (19 cycles) and live birth rates was 4.7% (11 cycles). Pregnancy rates and live birth rates of women under 35 years old was statistically higher than those of women above 35 years old (20% vs. 3.5% (p<0.0001), 12.3% vs. 1.8%, (p=0.002)). There was no difference in basal FSH, serum $E_2$ on hCG day, and the number of blastomere on ET, and stimulation protocol. Cumulative pregnancy rates according to the number of cycles of ET were $1^{st}$ 8.1%, $2^{nd}$ 9.2%, $3^{rd}$ 9.7%, $4^{th}$ 9.0%, and $5^{th}$ 9.5%. Conclusion: Pregnancy rates and live birth rates of IVF-ET cycles following single embryo transfer in patients with decreased ovarian reserve are statistically increased in women under 35 yrs old. There is no difference in cumulative pregnancy rates. These data may be helpful for counseling women with decreased ovarian reserve in attempting IVF with their own eggs or when choosing donor oocytes.