Magnetic Resonance Elastography and Diffusion Weighted Imaging in the Evaluation of Hepatic Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B

( Tiffany P. Hennedige ),( Gang Wang ),( Fiona P. Leung ),( Hind S. Alsaif ),( Lynette Ls Teo ),( Seng Gee Lim ),( Aileen Wee ),( Sudhakar K. Venkatesh ) 대한간학회 2017 Gut and Liver Vol.11 No.3

Background/Aims: Comparison of the accuracy of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we investigated 63 patients with CHB and liver fibrosis. DWI was performed with both breath-hold (DWIBH) and free-breathing (DWI-FB) sequences (b=0, 500). The mean liver stiffness and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated by drawing regions of interest maps. Fibrosis staging according to the METAVIR system was independently performed by an experienced pathologist. A receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to determine the accuracy of MRE, DWI-BH and DWI-FB in the detection and stratification of liver fibrosis. The performance of the detection of significant fibrosis (≥F2), advanced fibrosis (≥F3), and cirrhosis (F4) was also evaluated by comparing areas under the ROC. Results: There was a moderate and significantly negative correlation between the ADC values and liver stiffness. The accuracies for the detection of ≥F2/≥F3/F4 stage fibrosis with DWI-FB, DWI-BH and MRE were 0.84/0.76/0.72, 0.72/0.83/0.79 and 0.99/0.99/0.98, respectively. The performance of MRE was significantly better than DWI-FB and DWI-BH. There were no significant differences between the performance of DWI-FB and DWI-BH. Conclusions: MRE is more accurate than DWI for the detection and stratification of liver fibrosis in CHB. (Gut Liver 2017;11:401-408)

Economic analysis of biomass torrefaction plants integrated with corn ethanol plants and coal-fired power plants

Tiffany, Douglas G.,Lee, Won Fy,Morey, Vance,Kaliyan, Nalladurai Techno-Press 2013 Advances in energy research Vol.1 No.2

Torrefaction technologies convert assorted biomass feedstocks into energy-concentrated, carbon neutral fuel that is economically transported and easily ground for blending with fossil coals at numerous power plants around the world without needs to retrofit. Utilization of torrefied biomass in conventional electric generating units may be an increasingly attractive alternative for electricity generation as aging power plants in the world need to be upgraded or improved. This paper examines the economic feasibility of torrefaction in different scenarios by modeling torrefaction plants producing 136,078 t/year (150,000 ton/year) biocoal from wood and corn stover. The utilization of biocoal blends in existing coal-fired power plants is modeled to determine the demand for this fuel in the context of emerging policies regulating emissions from coal in the U.S. setting. Opportunities to co-locate torrefaction facilities adjacent to corn ethanol plants and coal-fired power plants are explored as means to improve economics for collaborating businesses. Life cycle analysis was conducted in parallel to this economic study and was used to determine environmental impacts of converting biomass to biocoal for blending in coal-fired power plants as well as the use of substantial flows of off-gasses produced in the torrefaction process. Sensitivity analysis of the financial rates of return of the different businesses has been performed to measure impacts of different factors, whether input prices, output prices, or policy measures that render costs or rewards for the businesses.

Sugammadex versus neostigmine reversal of moderate rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade in Korean patients

Tiffany Woo,김교상,심연희,김미경,임영진,양홍석,Phillip Phiri,전진영,윤석민 대한마취통증의학회 2013 Korean Journal of Anesthesiology Vol.65 No.6

Background: Rapid and complete reversal of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) is desirable at the end of surgery. Sugammadex reverses rocuronium-induced NMB by encapsulation. It is well tolerated in Caucasian patients, providing rapid reversal of moderate (reappearance of T2) rocuronium-induced NMB. We investigated the efficacy and safety of sugammadex versus neostigmine in Korean patients. Methods: This randomized, safety assessor-blinded trial (NCT01050543) included Korean patients undergoing general anesthesia. Rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg was given prior to intubation with maintenance doses of 0.1-0.2 mg/kg as required. Patients received sugammadex 2.0 mg/kg or neostigmine 50 μg/kg with glycopyrrolate 10 μg/kg to reverse the NMB at the reappearance of T2, after the last rocuronium dose. The primary efficacy endpoint was the time from sugammadex or neostigmine administration to recovery of the train-of-four (TOF) ratio to 0.9. The safety of these medications was also assessed. Results: Of 128 randomized patients, 118 had evaluable data (n = 59 in each group). The geometric mean (95% confidence interval) time to recovery of the TOF ratio to 0.9 was 1.8 (1.6, 2.0) minutes in the sugammadex group and 14.8 (12.4, 17.6) minutes in the neostigmine group (P < 0.0001). Sugammadex was generally well tolerated, with no evidence of residual or recurrence of NMB; four patients in the neostigmine group reported adverse events possibly indicative of inadequate NMB reversal. Conclusions: Sugammadex was well tolerated and provided rapid reversal of moderate rocuronium-induced NMB in Korean patients, with a recovery time 8.1 times faster than neostigmine. These results are consistent with those reported for Caucasian patients.

Access Right Assignment Mechanisms for Secure Home Networks

Tiffany Hyun-Jin Kim,Lujo Bauer,James Newsome,Adrian Perrig,Jesse Walker 한국통신학회 2011 Journal of communications and networks Vol.13 No.2

The proliferation of advanced technologies has been altering our lifestyle and social interactions–the next frontier is the digital home. Although the future of smart homes is promising,many technical challenges must be addressed to achieve convenience and security. In this paper, we delineate the unique combination of security challenges specifically for access control and consider the challenges of how to simply and securely assign access control policies to visitors for home devices and resources. We present a set of intuitive access control policies and suggest four access control settings based on our in-person interview results. Furthermore,we propose the automated Clairvoyant access right assignment (CARA) mechanism that utilizes home owners’ social relationship to automatically deduce to which class a visitor belongs. The combination of CARA and the suggested mapping provides a promising first step for home policy assignment such that nonexpert home owners can let visitors use their home network with confidence. We anticipate that future research can build on our proposed mechanisms to provide confidence to non-expert home owners for letting visitors use their home network.

Gender Stereotypes and Election Coverage in South Korea: An Exploratory Analysis in Presidential and Seoul Mayoral Elections

Tiffany D. Barnes,Jang Jinhyeok,Park Jaehoo 한국학중앙연구원 한국학중앙연구원 2016 THE REVIEW OF KOREAN STUDIES Vol.19 No.2

We explore how Korean media describe male and female politicians in high-profile elections. In western societies, there are competing views regarding media coverage of male and female politicians. The conventional view is that biased media coverage subjects women to gender stereotypes regarding the traits candidates exhibit and the issues on which women are competent to legislate. Yet, recent research contends that gendered differences are becoming less pronounced, and some studies even demonstrate that female politicians get more media coverage in areas that are stereotypically seen as masculine issues. The 2012 presidential election and multiple recent Seoul mayoral elections offer a unique opportunity to explore media coverage of male and female Korean politicians. Using a novel dataset of media coverage from the top five Korean newspapers, spanning four high-profile elections, we evaluate the presence of gendered media bias in Korean mayoral and presidential elections. Our original data analysis uncovers an interesting finding that female candidates consistently receive more coverage than their male competitors on stereotypically masculine traits and issue areas such as politics, economics, and international issues. This research represents one of the first attempts to examine the gendered nature of media coverage in Korea.

The impact of consumer familiarity on edible insect food product purchase and expected liking: The role of media trust and purchase activism

Tiffany S. Legendre,조용훈,한연수,김영욱,류정표,장세진,김진 한국곤충학회 2019 Entomological Research Vol.49 No.4

This study aims to investigate the impact of consumer familiarity with edible insect food products on purchase intentions and expected liking. Based on persuasion and information processing theories, this study examines the roles of media trust and purchase activism as underlying psychological mechanisms. The findings of this study indicate that consumer familiarity contributes to the formation of media trust. It adds credibility to the media information and consumers can be more motivated to exercise their purchase activism as the edible insect food movement is closely related to social causes like sustainability. Activist motivation, then, changes consumers' behavioral outcomes such as purchase intention and expected liking of edible insect food products.

Lowering GRWR and overcoming small-for-size syndrome in adult living donor liver transplantation

Tiffany CL WONG 한국간담췌외과학회 2022 Annals of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery Vol.26 No.-

Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia of the Breast on Core Needle Biopsy: Risk of Malignant Upgrade on Surgical Excision

Tiffany Sin Hui Bong,Jun Kiat Thaddaeus Tan,Juliana Teng Swan Ho,Puay Hoon Tan,Wing Sze Lau,Tuan Meng Tan,Jill Su Lin Wong,Veronique Kiak Mien Tan,Benita Kiat Tee Tan,Preetha Madhukumar,Wei Sean Yong 한국유방암학회 2022 Journal of breast cancer Vol.25 No.1

Purpose This study identified factors predicting malignant upgrade for atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) diagnosed on core-needle biopsy (CNB) and developed a nomogram to facilitate evidence-based decision making. Methods This retrospective analysis included women diagnosed with ADH at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) in 2010–2015. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify clinical, radiological, and histological factors associated with malignant upgrade. A nomogram was constructed using variables with the strongest associations in multivariate analysis. Multivariable logistic regression coefficients were used to estimate the predicted probability of upgrade for each factor combination. Results Between 2010 and 2015, 238,122 women underwent mammographic screening under the National Breast Cancer Screening Program. Among 29,564 women recalled, 5,971 CNBs were performed. Of these, 2,876 underwent CNBs at NCCS, with 88 patients (90 lesions) diagnosed with ADH and 26 lesions upgraded to breast malignancy on excision biopsy. In univariate analysis, factors associated with malignant upgrade were the presence of a mass on ultrasound (p = 0.018) or mammography (p = 0.026), microcalcifications (p = 0.047), diffuse microcalcification distribution (p = 0.034), mammographic parenchymal density (p = 0.008). and ≥ 3 separate ADH foci found on biopsy (p = 0.024). Mammographic parenchymal density (hazard ratio [HR], 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.005–0.35; p = 0.014), presence of a mass on ultrasound (HR, 10.50; 95% CI, 9.21–25.2; p = 0.010), and number of ADH foci (HR, 1.877; 95% CI, 1.831–1.920; p = 0.002) remained significant in multivariate analysis and were included in the nomogram. Conclusion Our model provided good discrimination of breast cancer risk prediction (C-statistic of 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74–0.88) and selected for a subset of women at low risk (2.1%) of malignant upgrade, who may avoid surgical excision following a CNB diagnosis of ADH.

A Cross-region Analysis on Commercial Food Waste Recycling Behaviour

Tiffany M.W. Mak,Daniel C. W. Tsang,Nastaein Q. Zaman,Nurashikin Yaacof 대한환경공학회 2019 대한환경공학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.2019 No.-

Aggregation Formation in the Polyglutamine Diseases: Protection at a Cost?

Tiffany W. Todd,임장후 한국분자세포생물학회 2013 Molecules and cells Vol.36 No.3

Mutant protein aggregation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including the polyglutamine disorders. Although the correlation between aggregation formation and disease pathology originally suggested that the visible inclusions seen in patient tissue might directly contribute to pathology, additional studies failed to confirm this hypothesis. Current opinion in the field of polyglutamine disease research now favors a model in which large inclusions are cytoprotective and smaller oligomers or misfolded monomers underlie pathogenesis. Nonetheless,therapies aimed at reducing or preventing aggregation show promise. This review outlines the debate about the role of aggregation in the polyglutamine diseases as it has unfolded in the literature and concludes with a brief discussion on the manipulation of aggregation formation and clearance mechanisms as a means of therapeutic intervention.