• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.72-79
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• 2022

Purpose: The proficiency test was conducted to assess the performance of the dosimetry audit service provider in the readout practice of the dose delivered to patients in medical institutions. Methods: A certain amount of the absorbed dose to water for the high-energy X-ray from the medical linear accelerator (LINAC) installed in the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) was delivered to the postal dose audit package given by the dosimetry audit service provider, in which the radio-photoluminescence (RPL) glass dosimeters were mounted. The dosimetry audit service provider read the RPL glass dosimeters and sent the readout dose value with its uncertainty to KRISS. The performance of the dosimetry audit service provider was evaluated based on the E_n number given in ISO/IEC 17043:2010. Results: The evaluated E_n number was -0.954. Based on the ISO/IEC 17043, the performance of the dosimetry service provider is "satisfactory." Conclusions: As part of the conformity assessment, the KRISS performed the proficiency test over the postal dose audit practice run by the dosimetry audit service provider. The proficiency test is in line with confirming the traceability of the medical institutions to the primary standard of absorbed dose to the water of the KRISS and ensuring the confidence of the dosimetry audit service provider.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.226-229
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• 2011

This study was conducted to develop a proficiency test (PT) specimen for the enumeration of Escherichia coli, a sanitary indicative bacterium, in molluscan bivalve shellfish. The common mussel Mytilus edulis was chosen as a matrix for the PT specimen. Mussels were artificially bioaccumulated for approximately 3 h with E. coli culture. After determining the homogeneity of samples, samples were distributed to 17 participants involved in the proficiency testing program. The enumeration of E. coli was performed by the most probable number method of the American Public Health Association. Statistical evaluations of the results obtained from inter- and intra-laboratory variation indicated no significant differences in the accuracy of these techniques between participants, indicating z-scores of ${\leq}{\pm}2$ and suggesting that preparation of the PT specimen for enumerating E coli in shellfish was successful.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.291-307
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• 2011

The primary purpose of this study was to report overall findings of academic English proficiency of university ESL students in an ESL program from 2003 to 2008 at a university in the U.S. Furthermore, this study proposes to explore the effectiveness of the ESL program on developing the ESL learners' academic English proficiency. In order to achieve these purposes, this study applied a quantitative research methodology which analyzed data (more than 3,000 samples) collected by the university ESL program. The data included the ESL learners' English proficiency test scores. The results indicated that the effectiveness of the ESL program was significant in improving the ESL learners' cognitive/academic language proficiency across all three groups: ESL-only, ESL + Under, and ESL + Grad. That is, after either a complete ESL program intervention only or both a partial ESL program intervention and taking academic courses, the three groups' academic English proficiency was increased to almost same degree The findings are discussed and implications for pedagogy are suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.828-835
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• 2014

GC-TSQ CI technique was applied for analysis of samples for the $32^{nd}$ OPCW proficiency test. Eight chemical weapon convention(CWC) related chemicals were identified by product ion mode analysis with GC-TSQ in the samples. Choice of specific precursor ion made it possible to supply selective total ion chromatograms(TICs) of target molecule. GC-TSQ CI anaylsis technique was useful method for chemical warfare agent verification because analysis selectivity was improved by choice of mother molecule as precursor ion and gave mass spectra.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.230-237
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• 2001

In general, the pH measurement follows calibration of glass electrode system using pH standard solution. When pH is measured at constant temperature, uncertainty factors are mainly related to the accuracy of pH standard solution and the accuracy and precision of glass electrode. Participants in this proficiency test were the volunteers trying to know the distribution of the measured pH values for the same sample and the sources of error through 1998 and 1999. The samples for proficiency test are phosphate salt standard solutions specially prepared in KRISS, of which pH values were 6.860, 7.415(at $25^{\circ}C$), and the stability test was performed for the same periods of proficiency test. The results of the proficiency test were plotted according to Youden plot, which shows whether the error is random or systematic. The results of Youden plot showed that the source of error was from the systematic effect of laboratories in each year. This shows that the source of error is the standard solutions used in laboratories.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.177-197
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• 2009

This study investigated the effects of dictation practice, in terms of listening proficiency and the use of listening strategy. The research was implemented for 15 weeks with 89 freshmen and sophomores at a Korean university. The subjects were divided into an experimental group and a control group. All conditions were the same in both groups, except that the experimental group had dictation practice on a regular basis in their listening classes through one semester. For the purpose of the study, two research questions were set; 1) Does dictation practice improve listening proficiency? 2) What are the differences in the use of listening strategies between the two groups? Does dictation practice make the participants use different listening strategies? A sample TOEIC listening test was conducted as a pre-test and post-test. A questionnaire was used to find out the differences in the use of listening strategies between the two groups. The results of this study reveal that there was no statistically difference in improvement between the two groups; however, the experimental group scored much higher on the post-test than the pre-test compared with the control group. In regard to listening strategies, among 6 listening strategies, the use of metacognitive listening strategies had a significant difference between the two groups. On the basis of the results, the study suggested some guidelines for dictation practice in EFL listening classes and called for more studies on its effects.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.339-346
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• 2014

The author assessed the availability of urine reference material for proficiency test provided for laboratories in occupational health. N-methylacetamide is the biomarker of exposure to N,N-dimethyl acetamide, which was used as the substitute for hepatotoxic N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). N-methylacetamide (NMAC) urine samples of 3 different levels covering the 0.2~2 times of the exposure limit were tested. Stability test up to 180 days (0, 7, 30, 60, 180 days) at 4 different temperatures (-60, -20, 5, $25^{\circ}C$) and homogeneity test were performed for these samples. New analytical condition by GC/MSD using SIM mode (m/z 58, 59) and DB-624 column was investigated for better selectivity, sensitivity and resolution. Urinary NMAC samples showed good homogeneity for 3 levels. These samples also showed good stability up to 180 days. The data of stability and homogeneity of urinary DMAC confirmed the basis of including this item into Korean proficiency test for occupational health laboratories since 2008.

• Transactions of the KSME C: Technology and Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2017

KOLAS (KOrea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme) belongs to APLAC (Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation). KOLAS manages the accreditation scheme for measurement traceability to SI units. As per June 2016, there are 22 KOLAS laboratories for liquid flow metering. Among them, 12 laboratories participated in the proficiency test (PM2015-08) for water flow metering, organized by KASTO (Korea Association of Standards and Testing Organizations). This proficiency test was performed with three kinds of flow ranges ($3.6m^3/h{\sim}12m^3/h$, $40m^3/h{\sim}80m^3/h$, $40m^3/h{\sim}200m^3/h$) considering the CMC (calibration and measurement capability) of the participating laboratories. The purpose of the proficiency test was to find out measurement equivalence of the CMC's between each participating laboratory and the reference testing laboratory (KRISS). The measurement equivalence was tested by the number of equivalence ($E_n$). If ${\mid}E_n{\mid}$ < 1, the measurement equivalence was established. All the participating laboratories passed this proficiency test.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.58-66
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• 2020

Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop formaldehyde samples for quality control (QC) and to test the applicability of proficiency analytical testing in Korea. Methods: We made formaldehyde samples with certified standard solutions (formaldehyde in water or acetonitrile) and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH)-coated silicagel tubes. Four levels of formaldehyde concentration were tested for storage stability at room temperature and at 4℃ over three months. Analytical proficiency testing was performed with four or 36 institutes. Results: Formaldehyde sample tubes were easily made through the injection of standard solutions and the average efficiencies of recovery were 95-101%. The coefficients of variation (CV) of the formaldehyde samples were 1.39-2.55%. The recovery efficiencies fell between 90% and 110% at the concentration range of 1-10 ㎍/sample over three months storage at refrigerated and room temperature. The CVs were less than 5% in the proficiency analytical testing. By adjusted proficient ranges, 64% of the results of the second proficiency analytical testing were acceptable. Conclusions: The formaldehyde samples made by injection on 2,4-DNPH-coated silicagel tubes were stable and applicable for quality control.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2023

This study attempted to test the hypothesis that Korean evaluators can score L2 speech appropriately, even when speech rate features are unavailable. Two perception experiments-preliminary and main-were conducted sequentially. The purpose of the preliminary experiment was to categorize English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) speakers into two groups-advanced learners and lower-level learners-based on the proficiency scores given by five human raters. In the main experiment, a set of stimuli was prepared such that the speech rate of all data tokens was modified to have a uniform speech rate. Ten human evaluators were asked to score the stimulus tokens on a 5-point scale. These scores were statistically analyzed to determine whether there was a significant difference in utterance production between the two groups. The results of the preliminary experiment confirm that higher-proficiency learners speak faster than lower-proficiency learners. The results of the main experiment indicate that under controlled speech-rate conditions, human raters can appropriately assess learner proficiency, probably thanks to the linguistic features that the raters considered during the evaluation process.