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Background:Cardiovascular disease is one of the most important problems in long-term follow-up for Noonan syndrome. We examined cardiovascular issues and clinical manifestations, with a focus on the cardiovascular disease and prognosis of patients with Noonan syndrome.Methods:This single-centre study evaluated patients who were clinically and genetically diagnosed with Noonan syndrome.Results:Forty-three patients diagnosed with Noonan syndrome were analysed. The most prevalent responsible mutation was found in PTPN11 (25/43). The second and third most prevalent causative genes were SOS1 (6/43) and RIT1 (5/43), respectively, and 67.4% of genetically diagnosed patients with Noonan syndrome had structural cardiovascular abnormalities. Pulmonary valve stenosis was prevalent in patients with mutations in PTPN11 (8/25), SOS1 (4/6), and RIT1 (4/5). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was found in two of three patients with mutations in RAF1. There was no difference in the cardiovascular events or cardiovascular disease prevalence in patients with or without PTPN11 mutations. The proportion of RIT1 mutation-positive patients who underwent intervention due to cardiovascular disease was significantly higher than that of patients with PTPN11 mutations. Patients who underwent any intervention for pulmonary valve stenosis exhibited significantly higher pulmonary flow velocity than patients who did not undergo intervention, when they visited our hospital for the first time. All patients who underwent intervention for pulmonary valve stenosis had a pulmonary flow velocity of more than 3.0 m/s at first visit.Conclusions:These findings suggest that genetic information can provide a clinical prognosis for cardiovascular disease and may be part of genotype-based follow-up in Noonan syndrome.

Background Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is associated with high neonatal mortality. We performed this study to test the hypothesis that left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volumes assessed by three-dimensional echocardiography may be associated with mortality in CDH. Methods This study was a single-center retrospective cohort study involving 35 infants with CDH. RV and LV end-diastolic volume (RVEDV and LVEDV, respectively) were measured by three-dimensional echocardiography and were corrected by birth body weight (BBW) on day 1. RVEDV/BBW, LVEDV/BBW, and LVEDV/RVEDV were compared between CDH survivors and non-survivors. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to assess the predictive ability for mortality of the echocardiographic parameters. Results Comparing CDH non-survivors (n = 6) with survivors (n = 29), respectively, RVEDV/BBW was significantly larger (2.54 ± 0.33 vs 1.86 ± 0.35 ml/kg; P P P Conclusions Three-dimensional echocardiographic volume imbalance between the RV and LV was remarkable in CDH non-survivors. The LVEDV/RVEDV ratio may be associated with mortality in CDH. Impact Mortality with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is high, and evaluating left and right ventricular structures and functions may be helpful in assessing the prognosis. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography indicated that the left ventricular end-diastolic volume/right ventricular end-diastolic volume ratio within 24 h after birth was associated with mortality in CDH infants. The usefulness of this ratio should be validated in prospective multicenter studies involving larger numbers of patients.

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is a slowly progressive skeletal muscle and joint disorder associated with cardiac complications. Dilated cardiomyopathy was the initial manifestation of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy in an 8-year-old girl. Despite normal muscle and myocardial biopsies, genetic testing revealed LMNA mutations. As Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is associated with minimal skeletal muscle weakness, cardiac complications can facilitate its diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to review the short- and long-term outcomes of high-risk neonates with Ebstein anomaly treated with a newly developed rapid 2-stage Starnes procedure, which is aimed at reducing the size of the enlarged right side of the heart. METHODS Fifty-two foetuses with Ebstein anomaly were analysed in this study and divided into 2 groups. The control group comprised 25 foetuses, referred to us before 2008, and the study group was composed of 27 foetuses, referred to us after 2009. The right atrial area index was defined as high risk when it was >1.5. We applied our management approach to 6 high-risk neonates in the study group. This approach consisted of reducing the size of the right side of the heart through a 2-stage process: (i) right atrial plication without the use of a bypass and (ii) a Starnes procedure. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the effects of our management approach on the survival rates of the neonates. RESULTS The mean follow-up period was 7.5 ± 3.3 years. All 6 high-risk neonates in the study group survived. The overall hazard ratio was 0.12 (95% confidence interval of 0.03–0.43) in the study group as compared with the control group (P = 0.0007). A Fontan operation was completed in all but 1 case, with the remaining case awaiting a Fontan operation. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that a rapid 2-stage Starnes approach can be effective in the treatment of high-risk neonates with Ebstein anomaly.

갑오개혁기 조세금납화는 서울의 穀荒에 대한 우려에도 불구하고 전면적으로 실시되었다. 동시에 상업의 발달을 통해 미곡 부족에 따른 위기를 해결할 수 있을 뿐 아니라 국가를 부강하게 할 수 있다는 논리가 언론을 중심으로 확대･재생산되었다. 그러나 1897년 대규모 흉년이 발생하였을 때 시장을 통한 미곡의 공급은 한계가 있었다. 특히 구매력이 없는 빈민들은 시장을 활용하기 어려웠다. 그럼에도 불구하고 대한제국기 언론들은 공통적으로 군수, 이서, 상인들이 자신의 사리사욕을 위해 벌이는 부정한 상업행위를 지속적으로 공격하면서 부정한 상업을 통한 사익추구는 배척하고 국부에 도움이 되는 올바른 자유 상업을 옹호하는 언설을 통해 미곡 무역 및 자유 상업에 대한 우려를 불식시켰다. 이러한 언론 논조의 배경에는 자유 상업을 통해 국가와 백성을 부강하게 할 수 있다는 국민국가적인 욕망에 대한 공유가 존재하고 있었다. 특히 『독립신문』에서는 자유무역에 가까운 형태로 외국과 무역을 확대해야 하고, 상품의 이동을 자유롭게 해야 하며, 외국의 자본을 폭넓게 수용해야 한다고 주장하였다. 『황성신문』은 외국인 특히 일본인에 의한 이권과 상권의 침탈을 경계하면서도 자유로운 상업을 긍정하였으며, 미곡 수출을 통한 국부의 증진을 위해서는 일본인 자본가와도 합작할 것을 주장하였다. 그러나 1901년의 흉년을 계기로 또 다른 흐름이 등장하였다. 『황성신문』을 중심으로 구황책의 필요성이 본격적으로 제기된 것이다. 당시 안남미의 수입, 권분, 내장원 소유 미곡의 공급 등의 의견이 제시되었다. 이 가운데 가장 흥미로운 것은 회사 설립을 통한 구휼이었다. 회사를 세워서 미가가 저렴할 때 미곡을 매입한 뒤 미곡이 부족하여 미가가 오르면 시가보다 약간 낮은 가격에 시장을 통해 공급하고 이익금은 진휼자금에 보충하자는 것이었다. 이때 회사는 자본금을 모아서 상호부조에 가까운 형태로 운영된다. 따라서 근대적 회사는 아니며 오히려 운영은 권분과 가까운 방식이다. 그리고 미곡은 거저 나누어주는 것이 아니라 시장을 통해 저렴하게 공급하도록 하고 있다. 즉 시장을 통한 공급에 가까운 전통이 선택되어 근대와 결합하는 양상이 함께 나타나고 있었다. 여기에 극단적인 자유무역을 통한 미곡의 공급방식도 약간이나마 설득력을 얻어가고 있었다. 이처럼 대한제국기 구황론에는 재구성된 전통이 근대와 결합하는 한편 그 속에서 시장은 위기와 함께 영역을 확장되고 있었다.

This study investigated the incidence and risk factors of perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy in children after operation for CHD. We included 777 consecutive children who underwent operation from January 2013 to December 2016 at Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Kanagawa, Japan. Perinatal, perioperative, and follow-up medical data were collected. Elastic net regression and mediation analysis were performed to investigate risk factors of perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy. Anatomic CHD classification was performed based on the preoperative echocardiograms; cardiac surgery was evaluated using Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery 1. Twenty-three (3.0%) and 15 (1.9%) patients experienced perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy, respectively. Partial regression coefficient with epilepsy as the objective variable for anatomical CHD classification, Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery 1, and the number of surgeries was 0.367, 0.014, and 0.142, respectively. The proportion of indirect effects on epilepsy via perioperative clinical seizure was 22.0, 21.0, and 33.0%, respectively. The 15 patients with epilepsy included eight cases with cerebral infarction, two cases with cerebral haemorrhage, and three cases with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy; white matter integrity was not found. Anatomical complexity of CHD, high-risk cardiac surgery, and multiple cardiac surgeries were identified as potential risk factors for developing epilepsy, with a low rate of indirect involvement via perioperative clinical seizure and a high rate of direct involvement independently of perioperative clinical seizure. Unlike white matter integrity, stroke and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy were identified as potential factors for developing epilepsy.

Owing to the absence of a sub-pulmonary ventricle, the central venous pressure rises in patients with Fontan circulation. During exercise, central venous pressure may rise further to increase the systemic ventricular preload and cardiac output. We performed a single-centre prospective trial of cardiopulmonary exercise test while monitoring peripheral venous pressure which strongly correlates with central venous pressure. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that peripheral venous pressure at peak exercise inversely correlates with exercise capacity in patients with Fontan circulation. Seventeen patients following Fontan operation performed cardiopulmonary exercise test while monitoring peripheral venous pressure. Peak oxygen uptake, heart rate reserve, peak oxygen pulse (divided by body surface area), and peripheral venous pressure at peak exercise were measured. Correlations of peripheral venous pressure at peak exercise with the peak oxygen uptake, heart rate reserve, and peak oxygen pulse were evaluated. The peripheral venous pressure at peak exercise inversely correlated with the peak oxygen uptake (R = −0.66, p < 0.01), heart rate reserve (R = −0.6, p < 0.05), and peak oxygen pulse (R = −0.48, p < 0.05). Exercise-induced peripheral venous hypertension correlates with exercise intolerance in patients with Fontan circulation. Peak oxygen uptake is a useful index for evaluating the status of congestion in the daily life of patients with Fontan circulation.

Quality control considerably affects road stability and operability and is directly linked to the underlying ground compaction. The degree of compaction is largely determined by water content, which is typically measured at the actual construction site. However, conventional methods for measuring water content do not capture entire construction sites efficiently. Therefore, this study aimed to apply remote sensing of hyperspectral information to efficiently measure the groundwater content of large areas. A water content prediction equation was developed through an indoor experiment. The experimental samples comprised 0–40% (10% increase) of fine contents added to standard sand. As high water content is not required in road construction, 0–15% (1% increase) of water content was added. The test results were normalized, the internal and external environments were controlled for precise results, and a wavelength–reflection curve was derived for each test case. Data variability analyses were performed, and the appropriate wavelength for water content reflection, as well as reflectance, was determined and converted into a spectrum index. Finally, various fitting models were applied to the corresponding spectrum index for water content prediction. Reliable results were obtained with the reflectance corresponding to a wavelength of 720 nm applied as the spectrum index.

After birth, the ductus venosus becomes an important route connecting the pulmonary and systemic venous systems for survival in infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. We encountered a fetal case of right atrial isomerism with infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and agenesis of ductus venosus. Prenatal echocardiography suggested that the fetus had severe pulmonary venous obstruction; however, no obstructive lesions were detected at the level of the vertical vein that drained into the portal veins. Therefore, we concluded that emergency surgical pulmonary venous obstruction release was the only way for the fetus to survive. However, the saturation level was maintained above 70% due to the abundant communications via the hepatic sinusoid over 1 week after birth. In conclusion, hepatic sinusoids can be a sufficient route for pulmonary venous return and may not cause severe pulmonary venous obstruction in infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with agenesis of ductus venosus.

The exponential data size growth in high-speed networks is a key motivator for nonvolatile memory development. To support this demand, higher density NAND is required: with a smaller cell size and higher interface speed. Generally, scaling down NAND technology requires addressing several common issues: 1) As the number of WL stack layers increases, the cell-string current is reduced due to the increased resistance in a cell string, 2) Deterioration of cell-to-cell interference, due to the reduction of cell pitch, 3) Support of higher IO bandwidth for faster data transfer speed [1]. Another challenge of this work was to minimize the die size because the peripheral circuit area is comparable to that of the cell array. Hence, we integrated the peripheral circuits below the cell array as introduced in [2]. Also, to cope with lower metal-contact height, a novel structure for the capacitor device was used to maximize capacitance per unit area.

The FLNA gene encodes filamin A, an actin filament cross-linking protein that is ubiquitously expressed within the body. FLNA mutation causes periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH) and congenital heart disease. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) related to FLNA mutation has also been reported from 2011 and can be lethal. However, there are no reports of how to combine the treatment of heart disease with the conflicting treatment of lung disease. We herein report cases of two girls with FLNA mutation and both ILD and left-to-right shunts due to congenital heart disease. They presented with respiratory symptoms in early infancy and required management with long-term intubation and ventilation. However, their respiratory status improved subsequent to the closure of their left-to-right shunts even though they were small shunts with improvement in pulmonary hypertension. This suggests that early intervention with closure of cardiac shunts can prevent further deterioration of lung damage.

Background Few studies have investigated the developmental prognosis of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). This study aimed to determine the mortality and morbidity, including the developmental prognosis, of VLBW infants with CHD. Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study included VLBW infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2006 to December 2011. Perinatal records were reviewed for CHD diagnosis, treatment details, comorbidities, mortality, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The characteristics and neurological developmental quotients at around the age of three years were compared among the following three groups of VLBW infants with CHDs: biventricular circulation without intervention (without surgery), biventricular circulation with intervention (catheter intervention or one-stage surgery), and single-ventricular circulation (Fontan-type multiple-stage surgery). Results Among a total of 449 VLBW infants admitted during this period, 45 (10.0%) infants had CHDs, including 25 infants with congenital abnormalities (chromosomal abnormalities and/or multiple anomalies). All 13 infants who died before discharge had congenital abnormalities. The incidence rates of comorbidities were not higher in VLBW infants with CHDs than in those without CHDs. The developmental quotients of the no-surgery, catheter intervention or one-stage surgery, and Fontan-type multiple-stage surgery groups were 87.2 ± 10.9, 91.3 ± 4.7, and 63.7 ± 8.6, respectively. Conclusions The neurological development at around the age of three years in VLBW infants with biventricular circulation was in the borderline to normal range, however, that in those with single-ventricular circulation was poor. Further studies are needed to better comprehend the neurological development of VLBW infants with CHDs.

Left ventricle noncompaction (LVNC) is a clinically heterogeneous disorder. Although several genetic mutations have been reported, only a little is known about its genotype–phenotype correlation. We report two cases of LVNC with different mutations and different clinical courses for each. Case 1 was a 15-year-old boy with atrial septum defect and pulmonary valve stenosis. He was diagnosed as LVNC when he was 3 years old, but his cardiac function was maintained and no medication was necessary. A 432 kb deletion in chromosome 8p 23.1, including GATA4, was found. Case 2 was a boy who was referred to our hospital at the age 6 for apparent right ventricle hypertrophy in electrocardiogram carried out for screening. We recognized severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) and LVNC with attenuated cardiac diastolic function and fair systolic function. In spite of medications for both heart failure and PH, the response was poor. A genetic investigation revealed a point mutation at exon 6 of TBX20, c.655-2A>G.

For effective water management in the downstream area of a dam, it is necessary to estimate the amount of discharge from the dam to quantify the flow downstream of the dam. In this study, a machine learning model was constructed to predict the amount of discharge from Soyang River Dam using precipitation and dam inflow/discharge data from 1980 to 2020. Decision tree, multilayer perceptron, random forest, gradient boosting, RNN-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM were used as algorithms. The RNN-LSTM model achieved a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.796, root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of 48.996 m3/s, mean absolute error (MAE) of 10.024 m3/s, R of 0.898, and R2 of 0.807, showing the best results in dam discharge prediction. The prediction of dam discharge using machine learning algorithms showed that it is possible to predict the amount of discharge, addressing limitations of physical models, such as the difficulty in applying human activity schedules and the need for various input data.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of emotional labor in opticians in order to provide basic data. Methods: Survey of 80 questionnaires was carried out by opticians in Incheon. The questionnaire for emotional labor proposed by Morris and Feldman and translated by Min-Ju Kim was modified for opticians. Results: The mean level of emotional labor in opticians was 3.24±0.55 points. The level was similar to that of nurses(3.37±0.56) and dental hygienists(3.28±0.56) who belong to health service. However, it was relatively higher than that of life instructors(2.72±0.55) and bus drivers(3.03± 0.78), and was relatively lower than that of call center employees(3.42±0.62) and hotel workers (3.60±0.99). Labor point of its sub-criteria, frequency of emotional expression, attention of emotional expression norms and disharmony of emotion was 3.64±0.63, 3.11±0.59 and 2.98±0.70, respectively. It was shown that average working time per week of the participants was 65.6±9.6 hours, and the daily working hours of less than 10 hours and more than 10 hours were 2.94±0.42 and 3.34±0.55(p=0.005), respectively. In addition, there was a significant difference between less than 5 days(2.99±0.54) and more than 5 days(3.31±0.53) according to weekly working days(p =0.032). Conclusion: Opticians who works more than 10 hours per day (compared to less than 10 hours) showed higher level of emotional labor. Therefore, further study would be necessary to find out factors affecting emotional labor to improve their working conditions, and to reduce emotional labor.

Data storage is one of the hottest discussion topics in today’s connected world. The amount of data growth is expected to be exponential, while budget and space remain constricted. Since the transformation of storage device from planar NAND to 3D V-NAND [1], the areal density of semiconductor storage devices has continuously evolved and has surpassed the density of magnetic hard drives. By providing the largest storage capacity in the smallest footprint, 3D V-NAND has been leading the data center revolution in recent years. However, 3D-technology scaling faces several technical challenges [2]. (1) As the number of WL stacks increases the channel-hole etch process becomes a limit, since the total WL-mold height increases. (2) Interference between cells increases since the distance between WLs becomes smaller. (3) Faster data transfer speeds are required to support higher IO bandwidth.

Purpose: Wearing contact lenses with low oxygen transmissibility is the cause of corneal complication. Many silicone hydrogel products with high oxygen transmissibility were introduced to the domestic market because they help preventing corneal complications, but the products differ in oxygen transmissibility. The information hasn't been known well because some of the products having no oxygen transmissibility marks on its package had been sold. We intend to examine the present condition of soft contact lenses sold in the domestic market, through analyzing the approval information of Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Methods: We analyzed product characteristics of the 131 approved soft contact lenses from Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety after classifying them, by material in silicone hydrogel and hydrogel, by purpose of use in general product and beauty product, by oxygen transmissibility in Dk/t 12, the lowest oxygen transmissibility needed for the cornea, and in Dk/t 24, the state corneal edema doesn't occur with eyes opened, and in Dk/t 87, the state corneal edema doesn't occur with eyes closed. Results: The ratio of domestic hydrogel products with a oxygen transmissibility lower than Dk/t 12 was 67.2%(41 EA), and the ratio of imported hydrogel products with a oxygen transmissibility higher than Dk/t 12 was 85.7%(12 EA). The ratio of domestic silicone hydrogel products with a oxygen transmissibility lower than Dk/t 24 was 73.8%(31 EA), and the ratio of products with a performance below Dk/t 12 was 52.4%(22 EA), thus more than half. The ratio of imported silicone hydrogel products with a oxygen transmissibility higher than Dk/t 24 was 100%(14 EA), and the ratio of products possible of extended wearing with a performance higher than Dk/t 24 was 42.9%(6 EA). Conclusions: Even though silicone hydrogel prescription rate increased from 10.0% in 2010 to 24.0% in 2015, Some silicone hydrogel products which are introduced in the domestic market have no information or wrong information of oxygen transmissibility being marked on its package, therefore, careful attention is required to choose them or else it may cause side effects.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of musculoskeletal pain (MSK) pain in Korean farmers using initial survey data of Farmers' Cohort for Agricultural Work-Related MSK pain (FARM) study. Methods Farmers (534 females and 479 males; mean age 57.2±7.5 years) who owned or rented a farm and belonged to an agricultural cooperative unit were recruited. Presence of pain for each body part (neck, shoulder, arm/elbow, wrist/hand/finger, low back, leg/foot), and characteristics of MSK pain (prevalence, location, duration, severity, and frequency) during the last year was assessed. Additionally, demographic data such as farming duration, history of prior injury, and workload (low, moderate, somewhat hard, or hard) were collected using structured questionnaires. Results Almost all subjects (n=925; 91.3%) complained of pain in more than one body part. The frequency order was low back (63.8%), leg/foot (43.3%), shoulder (42.9%), wrist/hand/finger (26.6%), arm/elbow (25.3%), and neck (21.8%). Low back pain was more frequent in those with over 30 years of farming experience (odds ratio [OR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–1.81). MSK pain was related to history of prior injury (OR, 2.18–5.24; p

Sediment-laden water leads to water quality degradation in streams; therefore, best management practices must be implemented in the source area to control nonpoint source pollution. Field monitoring was implemented to measure precipitation, direct runoff, and sediment concentrations at a control plot and straw-applied plot to examine the effect on sediment reduction in this study. A hydrology model, which employs Curve Number (CN) to estimate direct runoff and the Universal Soil Loss Equation to estimate soil loss, was selected. Twenty-five storm events from October 2010 to July 2012 were observed at the control plot, and 14 storm events from April 2011 to July 2011 at the straw-applied plot. CN was calibrated for direct runoff, and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency and coefficient of determination were 0.66 and 0.68 at the control plot. Direct runoff at the straw-applied plot was calibrated using the percentage direct runoff reduction. The estimated reduction in sediment load by direct runoff reduction calibration alone was acceptable. Therefore, direct runoff-sediment load behaviors in a hydrology model should be considered to estimate sediment load and the reduction thereof.

Background The ongoing Farmers’ Cohort for Agricultural Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (FARM) study was developed to evaluate health status and related factors in farmers. Methods Farmers in Kangwon Province, South Korea, were recruited. Baseline characteristics were determined using questionnaires about sociodemographic and health characteristics and agricultural work-related factors. In addition, laboratory examinations (lumbar spinal radiography and serologic testing) were conducted. Results The FARM study covers eight rural areas and recruited 1013 subjects (534 women; mean [standard deviation {SD}] age, 57.2 [7.5] years). Musculoskeletal pain in multiple areas was reported by 925 subjects (91.3%), and low back pain (63.8%) was the most frequent site of pain. Farmer’s Stress Inventory (mean [SD], 77.7 [10.2]; range, 28–112] and subjective stress index (mean [SD], 5.3 [2.4]; range, 0–10) were above median scale values, reflecting a stressful condition, while the EuroQol-5D-3L index and the EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale scores were high (mean [SD], 0.9 [0.1]; range −0.171–1 and mean [SD], 67.7 [18.7]; range 0–100, respectively), reflecting good life quality. In total, 53% of participants had worked in farming for more than 30 years, and workers involved in dry-field farming comprised the largest subgroup (41.5%). Most participants (94.3%) had no more than a high school education, and families with annual income below 20 million won constituted the largest subgroup (36.3%). Conclusions The FARM study may provide data on the current health status and related sociodemographic and agricultural work-related risk factors in Korean farmers, with the goal of providing a scientific basis for developing coping interventions and preventive strategies.

Mortality rates may be high in adult Fontan patients; however, the clinical determinants remain unclear.We conducted a prospective multicenter study of adult Fontan survivors to determine the 5-year mortality rate and clarify the determinants.We followed 600 adult Fontan survivors from 40 Japanese institutions (307 men, 28 ± 7 years old, follow-up: 18 ± 6 years). The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I and II was 51% and 42%, respectively. During the follow-up period of 4.1 ± 1.6 years, 33 patients died, and the 5-year survival rate was 93.5%. The mode of death was heart failure in 11 patients (34%), arrhythmia or sudden death in 8 (24%), cancer in 5 (15%), perioperative problems and hemostatic problems in 4 each (12% for each), and infection in 1 (3%). Left isomerism, prior hospitalization, protein losing enteropathy (PLE), pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae, NYHA functional class, impaired hemodynamics, hyponatremia, hepatorenal dysfunction, and use of diuretics were associated with a high mortality rate (p 0.05-0.0001). Further, PLE (hazard ratio [HR]: 14.4), left isomerism (HR: 3.5), and NYHA (HR: 2.4) independently predicted a high 5-year high mortality (p 0.05 for all). The incidence of cancer-related mortality increased markedly with age40 years.Majority of the Japanese adult Fontan survivors had good functional status, with an acceptable 5-year survival rate. However, the significant prevalence of non-cardiac mortality highlights Fontan pathophysiology as a multi-organ disease that requires a multidisciplinary management strategy to improve the long-term outcome.

Polypropylene (PP)/bamboo fiber (BF) composites were fabricated by twin screw extruder in order to investigate effects of the compatibilizer on physical properties of PP/BF composites. The content of BF changed from 10 to 25 wt% and that of the compatibilizer was fixed at 3 wt%. Maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP-g-MAH) was used to increase the compatibility be- tween PP and BF as a compatibilizer. Chemical structures of the composites were confirmed by the existence of carbonyl group (C=O) stretching peak at 1,700 cm -1 in FT-IR spectrum. Considering the degradation and mechanical properties, the optimum extrusion conditions were selected to be 210 ℃ and 100 rpm, respectively. There was no distinct changes in melting temperature of the composites, but the crystallization temperature increased by 10-20 ℃ owing to the heterogeneous nuclei of BF. It was checked that the optimum BF content was in the range of 15-20 wt% from the results of tensile and flexural properties of the composites. The effect of the compatibilizer on mechanical properties was confirmed by SEM images of fractured surface and contact angles.

In this study, considering the factors that affects sediment trapping efficiency of Vegetative Filter Strips (VFS), the scenarios were designed to develop a regression equation to estimate sediment trapping efficiency of VFS for agricultural fields in South-Korea. For this, general conditions of agricultural fields in South-Korea were investigated. Then, based on these results , total 53,460 scenarios were set and simulated by Vegetative Filter Strip MODel (VFSMOD-w). Two variables were determined from the results of 53,460 scenarios. These two variables were applied to CurveExpert for development of a equation, which can estimate sediment trapping efficiency of VFS. The equation developed in this study can be used in SWAT model for estimation of sediment reduction efficiency of VFS to upland field in Korea. Moreover, it is expected that VFS will be effectively applied to agricultural fields in South-Korea. Key words : Sediment, Sediment reduction, SWAT, Vegetative filter strips, VFSMOD-w

The purpose of this study is to assess the risk of depending on the presence or absence of safety device of domestic heating and drying furnaces, by derivation and analysis of accident frequency of safety devices through FTA (Fault Tree Analysis). Installation standards are lacking in Korean for the safety device of LPG heating and drying furnace, which have a risk of explosion due to structure to trap the leaked gas. Four different safety devices were selected on the basis of NFPA and national standards for combustors of other equipment. Effects of frequency reduction in accidents were analyzed before and after installing the safety devices respectively. As a result, a minimal leakage safety device was presented for preventing damages from gas leak of domestic LPG heating and drying furnace.

In Incheon area, 1960s of economic development planning and heavy industry center of efforts industrial park and port facilities, It is industrial land reclamation by coastal landfill, these industrial park has the characteristics of Low permeability lipid is embedded in the silty sand that was dredged. In this study, To evaluate the heavy metal adsorption ability to filter of drains that have been developed as environmentally friendly materials by applying the effective zeolite to heavy metal adsorption for soil pollution purification suitable for geological characteristics of Incheon. soil pollution Survey data and Literature search, which is the current through the industry, the most problematic was set to Cadmium (Cd) and Copper(Cu), Lead (Pb). and Using the Numerical Analysis using the Visual Modflow, was presented the most efficient drains set interval and format.

Purpose: This study has been compared the degree of corneal edema arising from the material of the lens after wearing the recommended wearing time for the contact lens. Methods: For the study, 43 adults of 77 eyes who did not use drugs and have not any disease participated. Three types of lenses including narafilcon A, HEMA, and silicone hydrogel material regular replaceable lenses were used. Central corneal thickness was measured before and after 8 hours from wearing lenses using Pentacam. The degree of corneal edema was determined by the difference before and after wearing. Results: The average corneal edema of narafilcon A, HEMA material lens, and silicone hydrogel material regular replaceable lens were , , , respectively. The central corneal thickness after wearing narafilcon A was not statistically significant with the central corneal thickness before wearing the lens. Central corneal thickness before and after wearing HEMA material lens and silicone hydrogel material regular replaceable lens were statistically significant. Conclusions: The amount of corneal edema induced by silicone hydrogel material regular replaceable lens was no statistically significant difference to the amount of corneal edema induced by HEMA material lens, but there was significant difference to narafilcon A. Therefore, it is judged to be careful not to exceed the recommended wearing time depending on the composition of the contact lens material.

This study investigates to investigate the ageing effect on household demand for clothing, food, housing and medical care commodities in Korea using a demand system model. The cross-sectional and time-series data from Statistics Korea on urban household expenditures and age projection analyzed household demands of consumption commodities. The household head age and elderly population ratio were employed for proxy variables of ageing. Ageing variable elasticities of commodity demands were estimated. Study results show that ageing variables significantly influenced on a household demand for commodities; clothing and food consumption decreases; however, housing and medical care consumption increases with ageing. The elasticities of total consumption expenditures and price variables were estimated in the demand analysis; these two variables significantly impacted almost all of the household consumption for the studied commodities. This study provides an opportunity to examine how ageing influences household consumption for clothing, food, housing and medical care commodities as Korean society experiences a rapid ageing. It is also meaningful that this study conducted a quantitative measuring of the household demands for commodities that was different from past research on the household consumption expenditures for commodities.

Most gnathostomata craniofacial structures derive from pharyngeal arches (PAs), which are colonized by cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs). The anteroposterior and dorsoventral identities of CNCCs are defined by the combinatorial expression of Hox and Dlx genes. The mechanisms associating characteristic Hox/Dlx expression patterns with the topology and morphology of PAs derivatives are only partially known; a better knowledge of these processes might lead to new concepts on the origin of taxon-specific craniofacial morphologies and of certain craniofacial malformations. Here we show that ectopic expression of Hoxa2 in Hox-negative CNCCs results in distinct phenotypes in different CNCC subpopulations. Namely, while ectopic Hoxa2 expression is sufficient for the morphological and molecular transformation of the first PA (PA1) CNCC derivatives into the second PA (PA2)-like structures, this same genetic alteration does not provoke the transformation of derivatives of other CNCC subpopulations, but severely impairs their development. Ectopic Hoxa2 expression results in the transformation of the proximal Meckel's cartilage and of the malleus, two ventral PA1 CNCCs derivatives, into a supernumerary styloid process (SP), a PA2-derived mammalian-specific skeletal structure. These results, together with experiments to inactivate and ectopically activate the Edn1-Dlx5/6 pathway, indicate a dorsoventral PA2 (hyomandibular/ceratohyal) boundary passing through the middle of the SP. The present findings suggest context-dependent function of Hoxa2 in CNCC regional specification and morphogenesis, and provide novel insights into the evolution of taxa-specific patterning of PA-derived structures.