Cases of ethical violation in research publications: through editorial decision making process

Purpose – To improve and strengthen existing publication and research ethics, KODISA has identified and presented various cases which have violated publication and research ethics and principles in recent years. The editorial office of KODISA has been providing and continues to provide advice and feedback on publication ethics to researchers during peer review and editorial decision making process. Providing advice and feedback on publication ethics will ensure researchers to have an opportunity to correct their mistakes or make appropriate decisions and avoid any violations in research ethics. The purpose of this paper is to identify different cases of ethical violation in research and inform and educate researchers to avoid any violations in publication and research ethics. Furthermore, this article will demonstrate how KODISA journals identify and penalize ethical violations and strengthens its publication ethics and practices. Research design, data and methodology – This paper examines different types of ethical violation in publication and research ethics. The paper identifies and analyzes all ethical violations in research and combines them into five general categories. Those five general types of ethical violations are thoroughly examined and discussed. Results – Ethical violations of research occur in various forms at regular intervals; in other words, unethical researchers tend to commit different types of ethical violations repeatedly at same time. The five categories of ethical violation in research are as follows: (1) Arbitrary changes or additions in author(s) happen frequently in thesis/dissertation related publications. (2) Self plagiarism, submitting same work or mixture of previous works with or without using proper citations, also occurs frequently, but the most common type of plagiarism is changing the statistical results and using them to present as the results of the empirical analysis; (3) Translation plagiarism, another ethical violation in publication, is difficult to detect but occurs frequently; (4) Fabrication of data or statistical analysis also occurs frequently. KODISA requires authors to submit the results of the empirical analysis of the paper (the output of the statistical program) to prevent this type of ethical violation; (5) Mashup or aggregator plagiarism, submitting a mix of several different works with or without proper citations without alterations, is very difficult to detect, and KODISA journals consider this type of plagiarism as the worst ethical violation. Conclusions – There are some individual cases of ethical violation in research and publication that could not be included in the five categories presented throughout the paper. KODISA and its editorial office should continue to develop, revise, and strengthen their publication ethics, to learn and share different ways to detect any ethical violations in research and publication, to train and educate its editorial members and researchers, and to analyze and share different cases of ethical violations with the scholarly community

Future development strategies for KODISA journals: overview of 2016 and strategic plans for the future

Purpose – With the rise of the fourth industrial revolution, it has converged with the existing industrial revolution to give shape to increased accessibility of knowledge and information. As a result, it has become easier for scholars to actively pursue and compile research in various fields. This current study aims to focus and assess the current standing of KODISA: the Journal of Distribution Science (JDS), International Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business (IJIDB), the East Asian Journal of Business Management (EAJBM), the Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business (JAFEB) in a rapidly evolving era. Novel strategies for creating the future vision of KODISA 2020 will also be examined. Research design, data, and methodology – The current research will analyze published journals of KODISA in order to offer a vision for the KODISA 2020 future. In part 1, this paper will observe the current address of the KODISA journal and its overview of past achievements. Next, part 2 will discuss the activities that will be needed for journals of KODISA, JDS, IJIDB, EAJBM, JAFEB to branch out internationally and significant journals will be statistically analyzed in part 3. The last part 4 will offer strategies for the continued growth of KODISA and visions for KODISA 2020. Results – Among the KODISA publications, IJIDB was second, JDS was 23rd (in economic publications of 54 journals), and EAJBM was 22nd (out of 79 publications in management field journals). This shows the high quality of the KODISA publication journals. According to 2016 publication analysis, JDS, IJIDB, etc. each had 157 publications, 15 publications, 16 publications, and 28 publications. In the case of JDS, it showed an increase of 14% compared to last year. Additionally, JAFEB showed a significant increase of 68%. This shows that compared to other journals, it had a higher rate of paper submission. IJIDB and EAJBM did not show any significant increases. In JDS, it showed many studies related to the distribution, management of distribution, and consumer behavior. In order to increase the status of the KODISA journal to a SCI status, many more international conferences will open to increase its international recognition levels. Second, the systematic functions of the journal will be developed further to increase its stability. Third, future graduate schools will open to foster future potential leaders in this field and build a platform for innovators and leaders. Conclusions – In KODISA, JDS was first published in 1999, and has been registered in SCOPUS February 2017. Other sister publications within the KODISA are preparing for SCOPUS registration as well. KODISA journals will prepare to be an innovative journal for 2020 and the future beyond

Colorimetric Analysis on Flocculation of Bioinspired Au Self-Assembly for Biophotonic Application

Gold nanoparticles exhibited strong surface plasmon absorption and couplings between neighboring particles within bioactivated self-assembly modified their optical properties. Colorimetric analysis on the optical modification of surface plasmon resoanance (SPR) shift and flocculation parameter functionalized bioinspired gold assembly for biophotonic application. The physical origin of bioinspired gold aggregation-induced shifting, decreasing, or broadening of the plasmon absorption spectra could be explained in terms of dynamic depolarization, collisional damping, and shadowing effects

An Arrhythmia Classification-Guided Segmentation Model for Electrocardiogram Delineation

Accurate delineation of key waveforms in an ECG is a critical initial step in extracting relevant features to support the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions. Although deep learning based methods using a segmentation model to locate P, QRS and T waves have shown promising results, their ability to handle signals exhibiting arrhythmia remains unclear. In this study, we propose a novel approach that leverages a deep learning model to accurately delineate signals with a wide range of arrhythmia. Our approach involves training a segmentation model using a hybrid loss function that combines segmentation with the task of arrhythmia classification. In addition, we use a diverse training set containing various arrhythmia types, enabling our model to handle a wide range of challenging cases. Experimental results show that our model accurately delineates signals with a broad range of abnormal rhythm types, and the combined training with classification guidance can effectively reduce false positive P wave predictions, particularly during atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. Furthermore, our proposed method shows competitive performance with previous delineation algorithms on the Lobachevsky University Database (LUDB)

Clinical outcomes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species: A retrospective matched case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical outcomes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing <it>Escherichia coli </it>and <it>Klebsiella </it>species (ESBL-EK) have not been adequately investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a retrospective matched case-control study to evaluate the outcomes of SBP due to ESBL-EK compared with those due to non-ESBL-EK. Cases were defined as patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP due to ESBL-EK isolated from ascites. Control patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP due to non-ESBL-EK were matched in a 3:1 ratio to cases according to the following five variables: age (± 5 years); gender; species of infecting organism; Child-Pugh score (± 2); Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (± 2). 'Effective initial therapy' was defined as less than 72 hours elapsing between the time of obtaining a sample for culture and the start of treatment with an antimicrobial agent to which the EK was susceptible. Cephalosporin use for ESBL-EK was considered 'ineffective', irrespective of the minimum inhibitory concentration. ESBL production was determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines on stored isolates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 1026 episodes of SBP in 958 patients from Jan 2000 through Dec 2006, 368 (35.9%) episodes in 346 patients were caused by SBP due to EK, isolated from ascites. Of these 346 patients, twenty-six (7.5%) patients with SBP due to ESBL-EK were compared with 78 matched controls. Treatment failure, evaluated at 72 hours after initial antimicrobial therapy, was greater among the cases (15/26, 58% <it>vs</it>. 10/78, 13%, <it>P </it>= .006); 30-day mortality rate was also higher than in the controls (12/26, 46% <it>vs</it>. 11/78, 15%, <it>P </it>= .001). When the case were classified according to the effectiveness of the initial therapy, 'ineffective initial therapy' was associated with higher 30-day mortality rate (11/18, 61% <it>vs</it>. 1/8, 13%, <it>P </it>= .036).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SBP due to ESBL-EK had poorer outcomes than SBP due to non-ESBL-EK. Ineffective initial therapy seems to be responsible for the higher rate of treatment failure and mortality in SBP due to ESBL-EK.</p

Performances of serum creatinine, C-reactive protein and white blood cell to predict urinary tract infection in febrile children younger than 24 months of age

Purpose Differentiation of urinary tract infection (UTI) from viral infection is a critical challenge in febrile children in emergency departments (EDs). This study aimed to assess the predicting performances of creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) for predicting UTI in the children. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively enrolled cohort of febrile children who presented to our children’s hospital ED from August 2016 through February 2018. We included previously healthy, febrile (≥ 38。C) children younger than 24 months whose urine cultures were obtained. Accuracy of creatinine, CRP, and WBC were assessed by optimal cutoffs, which were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Among the total 33,013 children to the ED, 7,847 (23.8%) febrile children were registered to the fever registry. Finally, 506 children were included, and UTI was diagnosed in 127 (25.1%). The areas under the curve of creatinine, CRP, and WBC to predict UTI were 0.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.46), 0.71 (95% CI, 0.66-0.77), and 0.66 (95% CI, 0.60-0.72), respectively. The cutoffs were 0.26 mg/dL for creatinine, 2.3 mg/dL for CRP, and 14.4 × 103 cells/μL for WBC. Creatinine showed worse performance than the other variables. The application of creatinine added to the other variables led to an increase only in the sensitivity, but at the expense of a lower specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Conclusion Serum creatinine showed a poor performance in predicting UTI in the febrile young children. Since a single biomarker can neither rule in nor rule out UTI in the children, the prediction of UTI can be achieved by the interpretation of both clinical and laboratory findings

Development of IoT-Based Sensor Tag for Smart Factory

To reduce the rate of defective products and ensure the health of employees, it has become increasingly necessary to improve air quality in factories. To do so, it is important to accurately determine the air quality in the factory first. However, currently available industry-grade sensors require complex and often separate construction processes, making them difficult to use in complicated industrial sites. In order to solve such an issue, this study developed an IoT-based sensor that can collect data such as factory temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, dust, and stench. This study has also developed software to manage the IoT-based sensors, which can transmit the data via RF communication. Sensor tags were tested for basic environmental durability, including waterproof, dustproof, and vibration standards. The sensors can be connected via USB to a computer to configure its settings and access the stored data within the sensors. Unlike other existing environmental sensors, these can be easily installed anywhere as they transmit data via wireless communication. These sensors can also be installed in the factory to check the factory’s internal pollution level in real time. The application of this sensor will enable the real-time monitoring of air pollution in factories. By locating the polluted areas accurately, it will be possible to exercise distributed control over ventilation devices to prevent further spread of pollutants, while also pushing out the polluted air to maintain an optimal working environment. Future studies should develop a simulation model for determining the ideal installation location for the sensors. There also needs to be further studies in developing a distributed-controlled air-conditioning system to run empirical tests

Estimating contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles in South Korea and prospects for maintaining elimination status.

Measles has been reemerging in South Korea since December 2018 resulting in 185 cases by September 2019. We calculated contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles in South Korea using national seroprevalence data in 2014, vaccination uptake rates, and an age-specific contact matrix. We further explored options to achieve a contact-adjusted immunity level of 93% for herd immunity. The assessed contact-adjusted immunity level has increased from 86% in 2014 to 92% in 2018. Herd immunity could be achieved with immunizing 50% of susceptibles among birth cohorts 1999-2003 in 2018. Contact-adjusted immunity levels against measles have increased recently in South Korea, although they might not yet be high enough to guarantee herd immunity