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BackgroundTo investigate the relationship between estimated mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) and peripapillary perfusion density (PD) or vessel density (VD) as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in young healthy eyes.Methods132 healthy participants (264 eyes) under 45 years of age underwent optic disc OCTA scan sized 3×3 mm to acquire PD and VD in the superficial vascular complex (SVC). Optic nerve head (ONH) parameters including retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, rim area and disc area were measured. MOPP was estimated from systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure (IOP). A linear mixed model was used to find the systemic and ocular factors associated with PD and VD.ResultsThe average age of the subjects was 25.8±6.5 years. PD and VD showed a significant correlation with RNFL thickness (r=0.224, p0.05).ConclusionPD and VD in the SVC were significantly associated with ONH parameters while showing no association with estimated MOPP. OCTA-derived VD may not represent perfusion pressure, but is rather more dependent on peripapillary structure.

Purpose. To investigate the effect of hemodialysis (HD) on the anterior chamber angle by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) and other ophthalmologic parameters in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Methods. A prospective observational study was performed on 20 patients who underwent HD for ESKD. Anterior chamber angle images were obtained by 16 mm line scan of ASOCT. The angle opening distance (AOD) and the trabecular-iris space area (TISA) were determined using the ImageJ program. Additional 12 mm horizontal and 9 mm vertical wide-field scans centered on the posterior pole were performed for the measurement of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness. Changes in intraocular pressure (IOP), AOD, TISA, pRNFL thickness, and mGCIPL thickness before and after HD were statistically analyzed. Results. The IOP decreased significantly from 17.5 ± 3.4 before HD to 16.2 ± 2.3 after HD (P=0.017). There was a statistically significant decrease in AOD 750 and TISA 750 (P=0.005 and P=0.007, respectively). AOD 500 and TISA 500 also decreased, which was almost statistically significant (P=0.061 and P=0.081, respectively). Mean pRNFL thickness and mGCIPL thickness did not show significant change after HD. Conclusion. We observed a significant decrease in IOP and anterior chamber angle measurements after HD. Our study suggests that HD can influence the anterior segment structure of eyes.

Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe gastroenteritis among children younger than 5 years in South Korea. Two rotavirus vaccines (RVs), pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine (Rotateq®; RV5) and attenuated human strain originated monovalent vaccine (Rotarix®; RV1), have been available for voluntary vaccination using out-of-pocket payment since 2007 and 2008, respectively. Yet, RVs are not included in the National Immunization Program (NIP), partly because of the low associated mortality rate. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of RVs to assist the evidence-based decision-making process for NIP implementation in South Korea. Using a transparent age-structured static cohort model, we simulated the experience of ten annual birth cohorts of South Korean children from 2018 to 2027. Model inputs included rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) incidence and mortality rates, RVGE treatment costs, vaccine coverage and timeliness, and vaccine effectiveness and price. The incremental costs of including RVs in the NIP compared to no vaccination were 59,662,738 USD and 152,444,379 USD for RV1 and RV5, respectively. The introduction of RV1 and RV5 can prevent 4799 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and 5068 DALYs. From the societal perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for adopting RV into the NIP versus no vaccination were 12,432 USD per DALY averted for RV1 and 30,081 USD per DALY averted for RV 5. The weighted average for the ICERs of the two vaccines computed using the market share of each vaccine in the current voluntary use as a weight, was 21,698 USD per DALY averted. The estimated ICER was below 1 × gross domestic product per capita (30,000 USD), which has been a commonly used willingness-to-pay threshold for health care technology assessment in South Korea, suggesting that introducing RVs into the NIP would be cost-effective.

Indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence (ICG-NIRF) imaging has recently come into use as a novel method in peri-operative microvascular flap assessment. However, a majority of the many commercial devices launched for clinical use lack mobility, portability, and cost-efficiency and are thus unsuitable for intra-oral applications. This study introduces a cost-effective, customized, handheld NIRF device following principles of ICG-NIRF imaging. Moreover, the novel characteristics of our prototype, considered in conjunction with a literature review highlighting the significance of fluorescence devices in microvascular surgery, point to a new generation of devices for use in microvascular flap surgery.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most common primary glomerulopathies diagnosed in children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features in and outcomes of pediatric IgAN over the last 30 years. Patients who were diagnosed before age of 18 at 20 centers in Korea were evaluated retrospectively. Of the 1154 patients (768 males, 386 females) with a median follow-up of 5 years, 5.6% (n = 65) progressed to stage 3&ndash, 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). The 10- and 20-year CKD-free survival rates were 91.2% and 75.6%, respectively. Outcomes did not differ when comparing those in Korea who were diagnosed prior to versus after the year 2000. On multivariate analysis, combined asymptomatic hematuria and proteinuria as presenting symptoms and decreased renal function at the time of biopsy were associated with progression to CKD, while remission of proteinuria was negatively associated with this outcome. Patients who presented with gross hematuria or nephrotic syndrome tended toward positive outcomes, especially if they ultimately achieved remission. While remission of proteinuria might imply that the disease is inherently less aggressive, it also can be achieved by management. Therefore, more aggressive management might be required for pediatric-onset IgAN.

BACKGROUND Since the introduction of 2 rotavirus (RV) vaccines in Korea, the vaccination rate has reached over 80% with out-of-pocket spending in the private market. We investigated the socioeconomic impact of RV vaccines in Korea to assess their value and public health contribution. METHODS By using National Health Insurance Service claims data, we compared the epidemiologic and economic characteristics of rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) before and after the introduction of RV vaccines. For each year of the study period, the annual prevalence and national costs of RVGE were estimated based on children under 5 years with at least 1 National Health Insurance Service claims record with a diagnosis of RVGE. RESULTS Compared with the prevaccination period, the prevalence of RVGE decreased in the postvaccination period by 48.9% from 2097 per 100,000 children in 2006 to 1072 per 100,000 children in 2015, implying an increase in the vaccination rate and the prevention effect of the vaccines. The highest reduction was observed among those 12 to

The chapter explains the structural change in the global auto industry and the current situation of Korean auto industry, followed by the risk management of supply chain. This chapter uses the cases of recent disasters to understand the interactions and impacts along the global value chain. In addition, several strategies to minimize the risk of supply chain are proposed: First, Build strong and flexible procurement system; Second, Risk Mitigation with diversification of supply sources; Third, Information network across the supply chain; Fourth, Build a real-time risk evaluation system with quantifiable index and training; Fifth, Minimize the damage with a business continuity plan (BCP).

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has been used as an important intervention in critically ill children. Our center has the only specialized CRRT team (SCT) for children in Korea, which consists of pediatric intensivists, a pediatric nephrologist and CRRT-specialized-nurses. This study was a retrospective single-center analysis, including all pediatric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Severance hospital in Korea and received CRRT between 2003 and 2016, grouped as before SCT (group A, n = 51) and after SCT (group B, n = 212). We obtained the data for sex, age, weight, diagnosis, blood flow rate or type of CRRT machine used, administration of inotropic agents or anticoagulants, and ICU duration before CRRT (hours). A total of 263 patients were included. The age was significantly younger (p &lt, 0.001) and blood flow rate was lower (p = 0.001) in group B than group A. Vasopressors (p &lt, 0.001), continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) (p &lt, 0.001), nafamostat mesilate (p &lt, 0.001), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-CRRT (p = 0.004) were more frequently used in group B. Based on our 14-year experience, we conclude that SCT operation could have played an important role in increasing the amount of CRRT utilization.

In this paper, a near-field ultrahigh-frequency radio frequency identification (RFID) system, which has cm-level 2-D positioning precision, is proposed. The system consists of a grid-shaped microstrip traveling wave antenna (TWA) and four-port switched differential feeding networks. To selectively form tag-read sections, opposite directional currents (ODCs) are used. To introduce a microstrip TWA for cm-level 2-D positioning, the influence of $H_{z}$ fields in microstrip TWAs is theoretically analyzed. In addition, to utilize field reinforcement and achieve precise 2-D localization, a grid-shaped microstrip TWA with four-port selective switched differential feeding networks is proposed and investigated. The proposed antenna and feeding network were fabricated on FR-4 substrates. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that precise 2-D tag positioning is achieved using the proposed system utilizing ODC along two selected adjacent microstrip lines in the TWA.

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common primary renal neoplasm in adults. Although renal cell carcinoma is known to spread to unusual sites, the ampulla of Vater is considered a rare site for metastasis. Here we present a case of renal cell carcinoma metastasized to the ampulla of Vater along with literature review. A 62-year-old Korean male had a history of hypertension and right-sided renal cell carcinoma diagnosed in September 2004, for which he underwent right radical nephrectomy in October 2004. The patient eventually underwent laparoscopic pylorus-preserving total pancreaticoduodenectomy in January 2017. The surgery was successful without postoperative complications. Previous studies have shown that surgical resection for solitary metastases of renal cell carcinoma can provide favorable survival rates. Our case report provides evidence that pancreaticoduodenectomy may be a treatment of choice for suitable patients with solitary renal cell carcinoma ampullary metastasis. A minimally invasive approach may result in early recovery of patient to be suitable for subsequent chemotherapy. Further evidence is needed to address the exact role of minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy in renal cell carcinoma metastasized to the ampulla of Vater.

A quadruple-polarization reconfigurable feeding network for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) RF sensing antenna operating at 915 MHz is presented. It consists of one single-pole four-throw (SP4T) switch, one 90° hybrid coupler, two 180° hybrid couplers, and two single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switches. By controlling the SP4T and SPDT switches, quadruple polarizations with two linear polarizations (vertical and horizontal) and two circular polarizations (right-hand and left-hand) were obtained. The proposed reconfigurable feeding network with quadruple polarization modes in the 902–928-MHz range has an insertion loss of approximately 2.5 dB including switch loss, and it achieves amplitude and phase variations of up to approximately 0.5 dB without divided power or switch loss, and 3°, respectively. Using the proposed feeding network, a circular low-profile UAV RF sensing antenna with quadruple polarizations was designed. Its electrical size, 10-dB impedance bandwidths, and a peak gain are approximately $0.57\lambda _{0} \times 0.57\lambda _{0} \times 0.08\lambda _{0}$ at 915 MHz, 16%, and 6 dBi(c), respectively.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between topical glaucoma medications and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in early middle-aged patients with glaucoma. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 50 patients with glaucoma younger than 50 years who had used topical glaucoma medications for more than 6 months and 40 normal controls of similar age were included. Patients in each group were graded for MGD (0-4) using slit-lamp microscopy. Tear film breakup time (BUT), ocular surface staining, and Marx line scores were also evaluated. Differences between both groups were analyzed statistically. Results The prevalence of MGD was 82% in the group using topical glaucoma medications and 52.5% in the control group. The average period of topical glaucoma medication use was 27.4 months. There were significant differences in the breakup time and Marx line score according to the presence of MGD. Although the duration of topical glaucoma medication use and the severity of MGD did not show a significant correlation, the degree of MGD and the Marx line score were significantly correlated. Conclusions Glaucoma eye drops may be one factor affecting the eyelid changes associated with MGD. The Marx line score may be used as an index to evaluate MGD in patients with glaucoma.

In this study, we aimed to develop a new automated method for kidney volume measurement in children using ultrasonography (US) with image pre-processing and hybrid learning and to formulate an equation to calculate the expected kidney volume. The volumes of 282 kidneys (141 subjects, &lt, 19 years old) with normal function and structure were measured using US. The volumes of 58 kidneys in 29 subjects who underwent US and computed tomography (CT) were determined by image segmentation and compared to those calculated by the conventional ellipsoidal method and CT using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). An expected kidney volume equation was developed using multivariate regression analysis. Manual image segmentation was automated using hybrid learning to calculate the kidney volume. The ICCs for volume determined by image segmentation and ellipsoidal method were significantly different, while that for volume calculated by hybrid learning was significantly higher than that for ellipsoidal method. Volume determined by image segmentation was significantly correlated with weight, body surface area, and height. Expected kidney volume was calculated as (2.22 × weight (kg) + 0.252 × height (cm) + 5.138). This method will be valuable in establishing an age-matched normal kidney growth chart through the accumulation and analysis of large-scale data.

We report on new fluctuation dynamics of the high resistance state of Hafnia-based RRAM devices after RESET. We observe that large amplitude fluctuations occur more frequently immediately after programming and their frequency of occurrence decays in the tens of microseconds. The fluctuation amplitude, on the other hand, does not decay noticeably over the entire millisecond read time. While post-programming instability and post-programming resistance dispersion have both been reported in the literature, the relaxation in the frequency of occurrence without a commensurate amplitude decay is new. Since picosecond pulses were used for our RESET operation, post-programming thermalization occurs on the nanosecond time scale. This clearly eliminates a thermally driven mechanism as the cause of the observed fluctuation behavior. Furthermore, reducing the READ voltage by tenfold does not have any effect and also eliminates read disturb as possible cause.

This letter presents a printed fan-shaped meandered dipole antenna with mutual-coupled dual resonance for enhancing impedance bandwidth in a compact antenna size. The proposed antenna consists of a printed dipole antenna mutually coupled to an antenna parasitic element of a different size for dual resonance and microstrip feeding. By applying a fan-shaped meander-line structure, the proposed antenna occupies a low-profile miniaturized electrical size of 0.21 $\lambda _0\times 0.21\lambda _0\times 0.08\lambda _0$ at 920 MHz. The proposed antenna, which was implemented and fabricated on an FR-4 substrate, achieved a wide 10 dB impedance bandwidth of approximately 12% and a peak gain of 3.2 dBi. Depending on the antenna length at the two resonant frequencies, the impedance bandwidth in the proposed antenna can be controlled.

Transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 3 (TMED3) is a metastatic suppressor in colon cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, its function in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is unknown. Here, we report that TMED3 could be a new prognostic marker for ccRCC. Patient data were extracted from cohorts in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Differential expression of TMED3 was observed between the low stage (Stage I and II) and high stage (Stage III and IV) patients in the TCGA and ICGC cohorts and between the low grade (Grade I and II) and high grade (Grade III and IV) patients in the TCGA cohort. Further, we evaluated TMED3 expression as a prognostic gene using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariate analysis, the time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of Uno’s C-index, and the AUC of the receiver operating characteristics at 5 years. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that TMED3 overexpression was associated with poor prognosis for ccRCC patients. Analysis of the C-indices and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve further supported this. Multivariate analysis confirmed the prognostic significance of TMED3 expression levels (P = 0.005 and 0.006 for TCGA and ICGC, respectively). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that TMED3 is a potential prognostic factor for ccRCC.

PURPOSE: To determine the range of eye movement in normal human subjects and to investigate the effect of age and gaze direction on eye movement. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study. We enrolled 261 healthy subjects, 5–91 years of age. Photographs were obtained in the cardinal gaze positions and processed using Photoshop. The processed images were analyzed using the Image J program to measure the angle of eye movement. The angle of eye movement was quantified using a modified limbus test. We measured the angle of eye movement in adduction, abduction, elevation, and depression. RESULTS: The ranges of eye movement were 44.9 ± 7.2° in adduction, 44.2 ± 6.8° in adduction, 27.9 ± 7.6° in elevation, and 47.1 ± 8.0° in depression. The ranges of eye movement in the younger group were higher than that in the older group in adduction, abduction, and elevation (P

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204069.].

We report a new technique for the rapid measurement of full capacitance-voltage ( $C$ – $V$ ) characteristic curves. The displacement current from a 100-MHz applied sine wave, which swings from accumulation to strong inversion, is digitized directly using an oscilloscope from the MOS capacitor under test. A $C$ – $V$ curve can be constructed directly from this data but is severely distorted due to nonideal behavior of real measurement systems. The key advance of this paper is to extract the system response function using the same measurement setup and a known MOS capacitor. The system response correction to the measured $C$ – $V$ curve of the unknown MOS capacitor can then be done by simple deconvolution. No deskewing and/or leakage current correction is necessary, making it a very simple and quick measurement. Excellent agreement between the new fast $C$ – $V$ method and $C$ – $V$ measured conventionally by an LCR meter is achieved. The total time required for measurement and analysis is approximately 2 s, which is limited by our equipment.

Purpose To measure the degree of compensatory torsional eye movement during head tilt using a fundus photography method. Methods We enrolled 55 healthy subjects who were 20–66 years of age. Fundus photographs were obtained in the presumed baseline position and in stepwise head tilt positions to evaluate ocular torsion using a non-mydriatic fundus camera. Horizontal marks on the nose were photographed simultaneously to evaluate head tilt. Images were analysed using Photoshop to measure the degree of ocular torsion and head tilt. Results A consistent compensatory torsional eye movement was observed in all subjects during head tilt. The degree of compensatory torsional eye movement showed a positive correlation with the angle of head tilt. Ocular torsional disconjugacy was observed during head tilt, with larger excycloductional eye movement than incycloductional eye movement (4.88 ± 2.91° versus 4.50 ± 2.76°, p

Recently, the prevalence of infant Kawasaki disease (KD) has increased. However, the myocardial functional analysis of infant KD can be difficult and rarely reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate layer specific myocardial strain analysis for better assessment of the acute period in infant KD. The study retrospectively reviewed the echocardiographic data of 25 infant patients with KD at the acute phase. With advanced imaging, pulsed tissue Doppler velocity data, myocardial strain with three layers specific analysis was performed. Then the data were compared with 25 age-matched healthy control infants. The measures of longitudinal strain and radial strain were decreased in infant KD compared to healthy controls. The circumferential strain was significantly decreased in infant KD at all three myocardial layers, especially in the endocardial layer (KD: −20.5 ± 6.4 % vs. control: −25.6 ± 7.6 %, endocardium, p = 0.00001; −14.6 ± 4.4 % vs. −18.1 ± 4.0 %; middle myocardium, p = 0.01; −9.7 ± 3.3 % vs. −11.4 ± 3.8 %; epicardium, p = 0.04). The acute phase of infant KD demonstrated decreased myocardial strain measurement. Circumferential strain was the lowest in the endocardial layer. Further continuous long-term follow up for myocardial assessment should be recommended even after recovery with appropriate treatment.

Purpose Acute pyelonephritis (APN) is a serious bacterial infection that can cause renal scarring in children. Early identification of APN is critical to improve treatment outcomes. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a prognostic marker of many diseases, but it has not yet been established in urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of this study was to determine whether NLR is a useful marker to predict APN or vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Methods We retrospectively evaluated 298 pediatric patients (age≤36 months) with febrile UTI from January 2010 to December 2014. Conventional infection markers (white blood cell [WBC] count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], C-reactive protein [CRP]), and NLR were measured. Results WBC, CRP, ESR, and NLR were higher in APN than in lower UTI (P

ZnO nanowires on Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) transparent conductive thin films deposited at different substrate temperatures were demonstrated and characterized. The GZO thin films were deposited at various substrate temperatures ranging from 200 to 600 °C in order to study the influence of deposition temperature of the GZO on the characteristics of the ZnO nanowires. The resistivity of the GZO thin films decreased from 5.11×10 −4 (200 °C) to 4.83×10 −4 Ωcm (400 °C) and then increased to 6.12×10 −4 Ωcm (600 °C). The ZnO nanowires were grown vertically and were highly c -axis oriented on the GZO thin films at every deposition temperature without any seed layers. The crystallinity of the ZnO nanowires was improved with increasing deposition temperature of the GZO thin films. In addition, as deposition temperature increased, the diameter of the ZnO nanowires increased, while the density decreased. Photoluminescence (PL) measurement and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) proved that the ZnO nanowires on the GZO thin films deposited at higher substrate temperature had less defects and were closer to stoichiometric ZnO. After the growth of the ZnO nanowires on the GZO thin films, the transmittance decreased with respect to that of the GZO only thin films, but the sample was still transparent with an average optical transmittance higher than 70%.

This study evaluated the effect of a booster vaccination of a new, live attenuated, Japanese encephalitis chimeric vaccine (JE-CV). Previously this vaccine has been used as a booster 12 months after priming with an inactivated vaccine and at24 months after priming with the same JE-CV. This study evaluates the immunogenicity and safety of the JE-CV given at 12-24 months after JE-CV priming.Phase III, open-label study in the Republic of Korea in which 119 children previously vaccinated with JE-CV at 12-24 months of age received a JE-CV booster at 12-24 months after primary vaccination. JE neutralizing antibody titers were measured using50% plaque reduction neutralization test prebooster and 1 month postbooster vaccination. Seroprotection (SP) was defined as ≥10 (1/dil). Safety was assessed for 28 days postvaccination by parental reports. Serious adverse events were monitored for 6 months postvaccination.Antibody persistence was high prebooster (SP rate 93.5%). There was a strong anamnestic response postbooster vaccination, with an SP rate of 100% and a50-fold increase in geometric mean titer from the prebooster level. Both antibody persistence and the booster response were independent of whether the booster was given at 12-17 or 18-24 months. The safety profile was good and comparable with the primary vaccination; there were no vaccine-related serious adverse events and no deaths.This study confirms the suitability of a JE-CV booster vaccination at 12-24 months after a primary dose of the same vaccine given at 12-24 months of age in children in the Republic of Korea.

The aim of the study is to introduce a software reuse technique into a generalized agile process for a reuse of a product backlog item. The software engineering community has made some efforts to integrate software reuse and agile methods. Most studies have emphasized the use of agile practices in software product line engineering, whereas reuse in agile methods has received little focus. Nevertheless, the activities and artifacts that provided by an agile method exhibit characteristics that promote reuse. In this paper, we identify catalytic activities and characteristics that promote reuse in a generalized agile process, and we suggest a reuse technique for a product backlog item. Based on our results, we integrate a backlog factoring technique into a generalized agile process for reuse. In addition, we apply the proposed technique and demonstrate a prototype of backlog item reuse in agile methods for a restaurant chain application.

Epitaxial ZnO thin film transistors (TFTs) were successfully fabricated on 4H-SiC (0001) substrates and characterized. When compared with conventional ZnO TFTs on glass substrates that were prepared in the same fabrication process, the ZnO TFTs on 4H-SiC substrates exhibited improved characteristics, namely, a saturation mobility of 5.41 cm2/V s, a threshold voltage of 2.43 V, and a subthreshold swing of 0.61 V/decade. The ZnO TFTs on glass substrates showed 0.44 cm2/V s, −1.55 V, and 1.13 V/decade. Such improved performance is attributed to the different growth behavior and structural properties of the ZnO channel layers on 4H-SiC substrates. Structural analysis on the ZnO channel layers clearly revealed the epitaxial growth of high-crystalline ZnO along the c-axis on 4H-SiC and the polycrystalline growth on glass substrates. The epitaxial ZnO thin films showed a higher Hall mobility of 24.17 cm2/V s due to less grain boundary and a lower carrier concentration of 6.21×1015/cm3 resulting from higher crystalline quality with less defects, whereas the ZnO on glass exhibited 6.24 cm2/V s and 2.37×1017/cm3.

Due to the nonuniform energy distribution in a microwave (MW) cavity, MW-based heating applications remain a substantial barrier. A continuous power-controlled MW conveyor-belt drier using multiple 2.45-GHz MW sources improves heating uniformity. By controlling the input power of MW sources sequentially, the electric field and temperature variations, hot and cold spots in the MW cavity, have been significantly reduced. Experimental results show that the MW heating using the proposed continuous power-controlled method can achieve an improved heating uniformity of approximately 34% compared with a simultaneous multiple input method (conventional mode).

목적: 본 연구의 목적은 방광 요관 역류(vesicoureteral reflux) 환아에서 재발성 요로감염의 임상양상을 조사하고, 첫 번째 및 재발성 요로감염 간의 원인균과 항생제 감수성 결과를 비교하는 것이다. 방법: 방관 요관 역류로 진단된 소아 환자 중에서 요로감염이 발생한 환자의 의무기록을 후향적으로 검토하였다. 첫 번째와 두 번째 요로감염 건에서 같은 균종이 동정된 경우를 1군으로, 다른 균종이 동정된 경우를 2군으로 분류하여 분석하였다. 결과: 2005년 4월부터 2018년 2월까지 총 13년 간의 연구 기간 동안, 총 77명의 방관 요관 역류 환아가 적어도 한 번 이상의 요로감염을 경험하였다. 이 중 47명의 환자(61.0%)가 재발성 요로감염 소견을 보였다. 재발성 요로감염 환자 중에서 1군은 19명(40.4%)이었고, 2군은 28명(59.6%)이었다. Escherichia coli (n=37, 39.4%)는 재발성 요로감염 환자의 첫 번째 및 두 번째 요로감염 건에서 가장 흔하게 분리된 원인균이었고, 그 다음으로는 Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=18, 19.1%), Enterococcus faecalis (n=14, 14.9%), Enterobacter aerogenes (n=7, 7.4%), 및 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=4, 4.3%) 순이었다. 비록 통계적 차이는 없었지만, E. coli에 의한 재발 시, 같은 균에 의한 재발 임에도 ceftazidime, piperacillin/tazobactam과 trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole에 대한 항생제 내성의 비율이 첫 번째보다 두 번째 감염에서 증가하였고, E. aerogenes에 의한 재발에서도 cefotaxime, ceftazidime, piperacillin/tazobactam 및 meropenem에 대한 항생제 내성의 비율이 첫 번째보다 두 번째 감염에서 증가하였다. 결론: 방관 요관 역류 환아의 재발성 요로감염에서 경험적 항생제를 선택할 때, 이전 감염의 병원균 및 항균제 감수성 결과가 재발 시에 항상 동일하지는 않다는 점을 염두에 두어야 한다.

Background and Aim. ROHHADNET (rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic, autonomic dysregulation, neuroendocrine tumor) syndrome is a rare disease with grave outcome. Although early recognition is essential, prompt diagnosis may be challenging due to its extreme rarity. This study aimed to systematically review its clinical manifestation and to identify genetic causes. Materials and Methods. We firstly conducted a systematic review on ROHHAD/NET. Electronic databases were searched using related terms. We secondly performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and examined copy number variation (CNV) in two patients to identify genetic causes. Results. In total, 46 eligible studies including 158 patients were included. There were 36 case reports available for individual patient data (IPD; 48 patients, 23 ROHHAD, and 25 ROHHADNET) and 10 case series available for aggregate patient data (APD; 110 patients, 71 ROHHAD, and 39 ROHHADNET). The median age at onset calculated from IPD was 4 years. Gender information was available in 100 patients (40 from IPD and 60 from APD) in which 65 females and 35 males were showing female preponderance. Earliest manifestation was rapid obesity, followed by hypothalamic symptoms. Most common types of neuroendocrine tumors were ganglioneuromas. Patients frequently had dysnatremia and hyperprolactinemia. Two patients were available for WES. Rare variants were identified in PIK3R3, SPTBN5, and PCF11 in one patient and SRMS, ZNF83, and KMT2B in another patient, respectively. However, there was no surviving variant shared by the two patients after filtering. Conclusions. This study systematically reviewed the phenotype of ROHHAD/NET aiming to help early recognition and reducing morbidity. The link of variants identified in the present WES requires further investigation.

In this paper, an ultra-high-frequency (UHF) quadruple-polarized reconfigurable antenna for 915MHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band applications is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of a disk-shaped radiator, four port feeding network which integrates microstrip lines and a 90 ° hybrid coupler, and a SP4T RF switch for polarization control. By switching the operating modes on the feeding network, the quadruple-polarized reconfigurable antenna with LHCP, RHCP, VLP, and HLP can be obtained. Using a FR4 substrate, the proposed antenna was designed and implemented. The peak gain and antenna size at 915MHz of the proposed antenna are approximately 6.4 dBi(c) and 0.53Â0 (D) × 0.08Â0, respectively.

Vertically well-aligned ZnO nanowire arrays were successfully grown on Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) transparent conductive layers. In this study, not only do the GZO thin films play a role as transparent electrodes but also a role as seed layers simultaneously, so that any additional seed layers are not needed. The GZO thin films with various thicknesses (50, 100, and 200 mm) were deposited to investigate the effect of the thickness on the growth behavior of ZnO nanowire arrays. The resistivities of the GZO thin films of 50, 100, and 200 mm thickness were measured to be 8.47×10−4, 7.30×10−4, and 6.51×10−4 Ω cm, respectively. The degree of alignment and the crystalline quality of the ZnO nanowires were improved with increasing the thickness of the GZO thin films. Photoluminescence (PL) measurement, which detected a UV near band edge (NBE) emission peak and a visible deep-level (DL) emission peak on each sample, revealed that the ZnO nanowires were grown with higher crystalline quality and less defects as the thickness of the GZO thin films increased. These may be ascribed to the improved degree of orientation of the (0002) plane and crystallinity of the GZO thin films, which were confirmed by XRD analysis. The grain size of the GZO films, which was observed to increase with increasing the thickness, also influenced the diameter and the density of the ZnO nanowires. With the increase in the grain size of the GZO thin films, the diameter of the ZnO nanowires tended to increase, while the density decreased.

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate noninfectious complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD), including mechanical and metabolic complications, at a single center in Korea. Materials and Methods We analyzed data from 60 PD patients aged ≤18 years (40 boys and 20 girls) during the period between 1986 and 2012. The collected data included gender, age, causes of PD, incidence of noninfectious complications, and treatment for the complications. Results The mean duration of PD therapy was 28.7±42.1 months (range 1-240 months). The most common cause of end-stage renal disease was glomerular disease (43.3%). There were no statistically significant differences between patients with and without mechanical complications regarding gender, age at the start of PD, and total duration of PD. Outflow failure was the most common catheter-related complication (14.3%), followed by leakage (10.0%) and hernia (8.6%). Metabolic complications, such as hyperglycemia and hypokalemia, were observed in three of 16 patients. The frequency of noninfectious complications of PD in our study was comparable with those in previous pediatric studies. PD was switched to hemodialysis (HD) in only three patients. Conclusion Our results indicate that noninfectious complications of PD are common, though they hardly lead to catheter removal or HD in pediatric patients on PD.

In this paper, a novel scheme for correcting rotated region in medical images using SIFT(Scale Invariant Feature Transform) algorithm is presented. Using the feature extraction function of SIFT, the rotation angle of rotated object in medical images is calculated as follows. First, keypoints of both reference and rotated medical images are extracted by SIFT. Second, the matching process is performed to the keypoints located at the predetermined ROI(Region Of Interest) at which objects are not cropped or added by rotating the image. Finally, degrees of matched keypoints are calculated and the rotation angle of the rotated object is determined by averaging the difference of the degrees. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme has excellent performance for correcting the rotated region in medical images.

The effect of epitaxial growth on the electrical properties of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films was studied. GZO thin films were grown on Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at various substrate temperatures. Pole figure measurement revealed that the GZO films were grown epitaxially with a 30° in-plane rotation relative to Al 2 O 3 (GZO [ 11 2 ¯ 0 ]||Al 2 O 3 [ 01 1 ¯ 0 ]) to reduce the lattice mismatch. An interesting difference in the variation trend of the resistivity by substrate temperature compared with that of the polycrystalline GZO films, which were prepared for comparison, was observed. The resistivity of the polycrystalline GZO decreased at 200 °C, decreased slightly more at 400 °C, and abruptly increased at 600 °C. However, the resistivity of the epitaxial GZO decreased sharply at up to 400 °C, and decreased continuously at 600 °C. Consequentially, much lower resistivities were obtained at high temperatures of 400 and 600 °C. Considering little difference in the rate of decrease in the carrier concentration between the two kinds of films at each temperature, this different tendency in the resistivity can be explained by the fact that the rate of increase in the Hall mobility of the epitaxial GZO at above 200 °C is much higher than that of the polycrystalline GZO. The higher Hall mobility of the epitaxial GZO is attributed to high crystallinity caused by the epitaxial growth that can induce lower grain boundary scattering. It was proved by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a high resolution X-ray diffractometer (HRXRD) that the epitaxial GZO grown at higher temperature showed larger grain size and higher crystallinity, that is, the grain boundary scattering can decrease more, and the Hall mobility can increase enough to compensate for the decrease in the carrier concentration even at high temperature differently from the polycrystalline GZO films.

There have been many efforts to find a new way to combine software reuse and agile software development methods. This paper studies the integration of software reuse techniques in agile methods, such as Scrum. Agile methods have the advantage of accepting frequent requirement changes, while software reuse reduces development time. Despite the rapid acceptance of the Scrum method in industry, not much emphasis has been placed on active reuse in the Scrum method, and most studies have focused on introducing agile practices into software product line engineering. However, the iterative development and backlog refinement activities of the Scrum method present the advantage of facilitating software reuse. In this paper, we identify sprint characteristics and components for reuse and suggest extended backlog refinement steps. Based on the results of this research, we integrate a backlog factoring technique into backlog refinement to support reuse in agile methods. In addition, we apply the proposed technique and demonstrate a prototype of product backlog reuse in backlog refinement for an Internet shopping mall application.

A necrotizing retinitis in children is a rare but vision-threatening ocular complication of chickenpox. We report a 10-year-old girl who developed chickenpox 1 month before presenting with panuveitis and necrotizing retinitis. After prompt antiviral treatment, her inflammatory signs were resolved. Early detection and treatment of varicella zoster-associated necrotizing retinitis after chickenpox can achieve good visual outcome.

D-dimer, as well as other biomarkers related to coagulation, is significantly increased during severe bacterial infection and sepsis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum D-dimer as a biological marker in diagnosing acute pyelonephritis (APN) and in predicting vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) in infants with urinary tract infection (UTI). We retrospectively analyzed the data of 177 young infants (

Delta neutrophil index (DNI) is the fraction of circulating immature granulocytes, which reflects severe bacterial infections and septic condition but has not been studied in urinary tract infection (UTI). Here, we evaluated the value of DNI in predicting acute pyelonephritis (APN) or vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using the data of 288 patients. Conventional inflammatory markers (white blood cell [WBC] count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], C-reactive protein [CRP]), and DNI were measured. WBC, CRP, ESR and DNI were higher in APN than in lower UTI (p P P P P

PURPOSE To evaluate choroidal changes in eyes with acute anterior uveitis associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27. METHODS In 44 patients with first-onset, unilateral, acute-onset (

In this paper, we propose a texture feature-based language identification by fusion of Gabor, MDLC (multi-lag directional local correlation), and co-occurrence features. In the proposed method, for a test image, Gabor magnitude images are first obtained by Gabor transform followed by magnitude operator. Moments for the Gabor magniude images are then computed and vectorized. MDLC images are then obtained by MDLC operator and their moments are computed and vectorized. GLCM (gray-level co-occurrence matrix) is next calculated from the test image and co-occurrence features are computed using the GLCM, and the features are also vectorized. The three vectors of the Gabor, MDLC, and co-occurrence features are fused into a feature vector. In classification, the WPCA (whitened principal component analysis) classifier, which is usually adopted in the face identification, searches the training feature vector most similar to the test feature vector. We evaluate the performance of our method by examining averaged identification rates for a test document image DB obtained by scanning of documents with 15 languages. Experimental results show that the proposed method yields excellent language identification with rather low feature dimension for the test DB.

Various cytokines activated by the inhalation of coal dust may mediate inflammation and lead to tissue damage. Objective of this study was to examine the relationships between coal work- ers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) progression over a 3 yr period and the serum levels of cytokines in 85 retired coal workers. To investigate the relevance of serum cytokines in CWP, serum levels of inter- leukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) as progressive CWP biomarkers were studied in re- lation to the progression of pneumoconiosis over a 3 yr period in 85 patients with CWP. CWP pro- gression was evaluated through paired comparisons of chest radiographs. Median levels of TGF-β1 and MCP-1 were significantly higher in subjects with progressive CWP than in those without CWP progression. The area under the ROC curve for TGF-β1 (0.693) and MCP-1 (0.653) indicated that these cytokines could serve as biomarkers for the progression of CWP. Serum TGF-β1 levels were related to the progression of CWP (β=0.247, p=0.016). The results suggest that high serum levels of TGF-β1 and MCP-1 are associated with the progression of CWP.

As the cyber-attack trends are shifted from the volumetric attacks to the multi-layered attacks, it is more difficult for the IT administrators to find those attack attempts within their system and networks. However, vulnerability assessment is not easy due to the complex connections between multi-layered applications, servers, and networks. There are many security functionalities, but it is hard to apply strong security functionality to every information asset. In many cases, especially low computing power devices, authentication is the only or the first defense mechanism. Also, IT administrators continuously remove security vulnerabilities in applications, operating systems, and networks, but security vulnerabilities are repeatedly found due to the vendor's lack of security development process. To establish practical security defense strategy in the multi-layered network environment, we propose an advanced attack path enumeration methodology based on IT asset's reputations and authentication score. A predictive attack path enumeration based on our proposed method can help to find the best defense plan. We demonstrate our approach by design and implementation of a Hacking response measurement system and case study.

Purpose To validate and update a nomogram for predicting ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) upstaging in preoperative biopsy. Materials and methods Medical records of 444 preoperative DCIS patients were evaluated and used to validate a previous version of the Severance nomogram for predicting DCIS upstaging in preoperative biopsy. Patients were divided into two groups according to the final postoperative pathology. Univariate and multivariate analyses with the chi-square test, Student's t-test, and binary logistic regression method identified new significant variables. The updated nomogram was evaluated with the C-index and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test. Results The area under a receiver operating characteristic curve for comparison with the previous nomogram was 0.48. In postoperative pathology, the pure DCIS and invasive cancer groups comprised 345 and 99 cases, respectively. Approximately 22.3% of patients preoperatively diagnosed with DCIS were upstaged to invasive cancer. Significant variables in the univariate analysis were operation type, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression, comedo necrosis, sonographic mass, mammographic mass, preoperative biopsy method, and suspicious microinvasion in preoperative biopsy. In multivariate analysis, operation type, sonographic mass, mammographic mass, and suspicious microinvasion were risk factors for upstaging. The updated model with these variables showed moderate discrimination and was appropriate in the calibration test. Conclusion The previous nomogram did not effectively discriminate upstaging of preoperative DCIS in an independent cohort. An updated version of the nomogram appears to provide more accurate information for predicting preoperative DCIS upstaging.

최근 데이터베이스의 크기가 점차 증가하고 있다. 기업에서는 데이터베이스 관리의 어려움으로 인하여 클라우드 형태로 아웃소싱하고 있으며, 이때 클라우드 서비스업체에 의해 관리되는 데이터베이스의 보안은 매우 중요하다. 데이터베이스 내의 중요 정보를 보호하기 위해서는 암호화하는 것이 최선의 방법이지만, 일단 암호화되고 난 후에는 더 이상 검색하기 어려워진다. 암호화된 데이터베이스에서의 검색 성능은 암호화 방법과 검색 방법에 의해 좌우된다. 본 논문에서는 가변길이의 키워드 인덱스와 블룸필터를 사용하여, 클라우드 서비스업체의 관리하의 데이터베이스에 대한 암호화 방법 및 효율적인 검색 방법을 제안한다. 마지막으로 제안된 방법이 데이터베이스 암호화 및 관련 응용분야에 유용하게 사용될 수 있음을 보인다.

There has been a growing amount of research on combining Agile methods and software reuse. Most of it introduces Agile into software product line rather than software reuse into Scrum method. Meanwhile, some assets such as backlogs and incremental artifacts in Scrum development are reusable. In this paper, we identify a backlog binder that aggregates reusable Scrum assets and proposes a backlog binder reuse technique. In addition, we can apply the proposed technique and show prototyping of backlog binder reuse in job matching applications. Key Words : Scrum, Agile Software Development, Software Reuse, Agile Method, Software Engineering * 이 논문은 2013년도 가천대학교 교내연구비 지원에 의한 결과임.(GCU-2013-R406)Received 1 December 2013, Revised 20 December 2013Accepted 20 December 2013Corresponding Author: Ji-Hong Kim(Gachon University) Email: wiskjh@gachon.ac.krⒸ The Society of Digital Policy & Management. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.otg/licenses/by-nc/3.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is ISSN: 1738-1916 properly cited.