• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.24-33
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• 2019

Background: Spontaneous use of the upper extremities on the affected side of patients with stroke is a meaningful indicator of recovery and may vary by the age or dominant hand of patients. No prior study has reported changes in actual amount of use test (AAUT) and motor activity log (MAL)-28 according to age and handedness in healthy adults, and AAUT inter-rater reliability for assessment of healthy adults. Objects: This study aimed to (1) research the differences in AAUT and MAL-28 according to age and handedness in healthy adults, and (2) determine the inter-rater reliability of the AAUT. Methods: Seventy healthy adults participated in this study. The MAL-28 was assessed by dividing 61 subjects into young right-handed ($n_1=20$), young left-handed ($n_2=21$), and older right-handed ($n_3=20$) groups. The AAUT was assessed by dividing 63 subjects into young right-handed ($n_1=25$), young left-handed ($n_2=18$), and older right-handed ($n_3=20$) groups. Student's t-test and the Wilcoxon signedrank test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The Amount of Use (AOU) scale values for each group showed no significant differences between age groups and handedness groups in the MAL-28 (p>.05). The AAUT AOU scale value showed significant differences regarding dominant handedness in the AAUT (p<.05), but no significant differences according to age (p>.05). (2) Inter-rater reliability of the AAUT was excellent, except few items (item 9, 11, and 12). Conclusion: Although both the MAL-28 and the AAUT measured how much participants used their dominant arms in healthy subjects, the AAUT only showed significantly higher dominant arm use in left hander than the right hander. In addition, the inter-rater reliability of the AAUT was excellent. Current results can be utilized as a basic information when clinicians develop rehabilitation strategies, and AAUT was shown to be a reliable evaluation tool for measurement of upper extremity use in Korean adults, based on the reliability demonstrated by this study.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.96-106
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• 2022

Objective : The most common complication of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is cage subsidence and maintenance of disc height affects postoperative clinical outcomes. We considered cage subsidence as an inappropriate indicator for evaluating preservation of disc height. Thus, this study aimed to consider patients with complications such as reduced total disc height compared to that before surgery and evaluate the relevance of several factors before ACDF. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 40 patients who underwent stand-alone single-level ACDF using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage at our institution between January 2012 and December 2018. Our study population comprised 19 male and 21 female patients aged 24-70 years. The minimum follow-up period was 1 year. Twenty-seven patients had preoperative bone mineral density (BMD) data on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Clinical parameters included sex, age, body mass index, smoking history, and prior medical history. Radiologic parameters included the C2-7 cobb angle, segmental angle, sagittal vertical axis, disc height, and total intervertebral height (TIH) at the preoperative and postoperative periods. Cage decrement was defined as the reduction in TIH at the 6-month follow-up compared to preoperative TIH. To evaluate the bone quality, Hounsfield unit (HU) value was calculated in the axial and sagittal images of conventional computed tomography. Results : Lumbar BMD values and cervical HU values were significantly correlated (r=0.733, p<0.001). We divided the patients into two groups based on cage decrement, and 47.5% of the total patients were regarded as cage decrement. There were statistically significant differences in the parameters of measuring the HU value of the vertebra and intraoperative distraction between the two groups. Using these identified factors, we performed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Based on the ROC curve, the cut-off point was 530 at the HU value of the upper cortical and cancellous vertebrae (p=0.014; area under the curve [AUC], 0.727; sensitivity, 94.7%; specificity, 42.9%) and 22.41 at intraoperative distraction (p=0.017; AUC, 0.722; sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 57.9%). Using this value, we converted these parameters into a bifurcated variable and assessed the multinomial regression analysis to evaluate the risk factors for cage decrement in ACDF. Intraoperative distraction and HU value of the upper vertebral body were independent factors of postoperative subsidence. Conclusion : Insufficient intraoperative distraction and low HU value showed a strong relationship with postoperative intervertebral height reduction following single stand-alone PEEK cage ACDF.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_1
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• pp.1047-1056
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• 2022

Sea ice, frozen sea water, in the Artic is a primary indicator of global warming. Due to its importance to the climate system, shipping-route navigation, and fisheries, Arctic sea ice prediction has gained increased attention in various disciplines. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), motivated by a desire to develop more autonomous and efficient future predictions, have led to the development of new sea ice prediction models as alternatives to conventional numerical and statistical prediction models. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the two-stream convolutional long-and short-term memory (TS-ConvLSTM) AI model, which is designed for learning both global and local characteristics of the Arctic sea ice changes, for the minimum September Arctic sea ice from 2001 to 2021, and to show the possibility for an operational prediction system. Although the TS-ConvLSTM model generally increased the prediction performance as training data increased, predictability for the marginal ice zone, 5-50% concentration, showed a negative trend due to increasing first-year sea ice and warming. Additionally, a comparison of sea ice extent predicted by the TS-ConvLSTM with the median Sea Ice Outlooks (SIOs) submitted to the Sea Ice Prediction Network has been carried out. Unlike the TS-ConvLSTM, the median SIOs did not show notable improvements as time passed (i.e., the amount of training data increased). Although the TS-ConvLSTM model has shown the potential for the operational sea ice prediction system, learning more spatio-temporal patterns in the difficult-to-predict natural environment for the robust prediction system should be considered in future work.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.27-38
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• 2022

In developed countries, the number of accidents has significantly decreased with the introduction of the process safety management system, but it has a regulatory nature and it is difficult to show the actual situation of workplace safety management. Many organizations recommend the use of process safety performance indicators to comprehensively monitor process safety status. In this study, for the application of process safety performance indicators, the related guidelines were compared and analyzed, and the method of using the process safety system of the workplace as an indicator was reviewed. In literature indicators, compliance with procedures is mainly checked, whereas in system-based indicators, procedures or inspections for a specific purpose of the safety system can be clearly identified, and the operation status can be measured and monitored. It can be seen that this characteristic is more advantageous in terms of the clarity of the supplements derived in operating safety management activities. Using this, it is possible to effectively show the level of safety management in the workplace.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.241-252
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sella turcica morphology and delayed dental age. In total, 389 participants under 16 years old were selected. Dental age was evaluated by the Demirjian method and age discrepancy (AD), the value subtracted from dental age to chronological age, was calculated. The participants were divided into 8 groups based on the sella turcica type. Bridging ratio (BR) was defined as interclinoid distance divided by sella turcica length to determine the degree of sella turcica bridging (STB) and the participants were classified into 4 groups by BR. The data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal Wallis test and the Mann Whitney test. Some groups with sella turcica abnormality showed lower AD than that of the normal group and the AD differences varied from 4 months to 1.3 year. As the STB severity increased, AD decreased. AD differences varied from 7 months to 1.19 year. No distinct differences were observed in sella turcica type and STB groups according to sex. The results indicate that sella turcica morphology is associated with delayed dental age. Sella turcica can be used as a supplementary indicator to predict dental development.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.687-700
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• 2022

For comprehensively assessment the water resources performance of multi-purpose dams and water supply dams in South Korea, a methodology was proposed to utilize the durational reliability along with the integrated auxiliary indicators including resiliency, dimensionless vulnerability, water resource efficiency, specific inflow, and specific water supply. In addition, for the purpose of sustainable dam operation in the future, a plan to grade the water resources performance was presented to periodically evaluate the performance and determine the priority of each dam's structural or non-structural planning according to the evaluation results. As major results, in the case of Sumjingang Dam, the durational reliability was 99.0%, but the integrated auxiliary index was the lowest of 44 points, which was 5th grade. This means that despite the current high reliability, hydrological changes due to future climate change or regional change of water demand-supply balance can have significant impacts on the water resources performances. In contrast, the Chungju Dam with a durational reliability of 93.0%, which is below the average among all multi-purpose dams, shows the 76 points of the integrated auxiliary index, which is 3^rd highest following the Soyanggang Dam and the Namgang Dam. Nevertheless, due to the size of the basin, the specific inflow is sufficiently high as 185%, so the actual performance could be evaluated relatively high. The water supply dams designed for a single purpose tend to be evaluated relatively high because they have a high proportion of industrial and municipal water supply and have enough room for the supply capacity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.76-83
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• 2022

We attempted to estimate potential habitats of Clithon retropictus and to determine the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates by presence of C. retropictus. 2016 to 2018 database of "Survey and Assessment of Estuary Ecosystem Health" by the Ministry of Environment were used to identify the distribution site of C. retropictus. The occupancy model was applied to estimate the potential habitat of C. retropictus. Four diversity indices were used to confirm the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates. C. retropictus was found in the southern coast area and part of the east coast, and this pattern was consistent with previous studies. Additionally, the occupancy model predicted that a potential habitat of C. retropictus could appear in the west coast area. The community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates was relatively high at the site with C. retropictus than the site without C. retropictus. Therefore, the occupancy model can be considered when conserving C. retropictus inhabiting a limited area. Additionally, C. retropictus can be used to the indicator species that can represent the brackish water environment.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.122-144
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of herbal medicine treatment in patients with cold urticaria. Methods : We searched randomized controlled trials(RCTs) reporting the effects of herbal medicine for cold urticaria through domestic and international databases from their inception to September 2023. The results were summarized in tables. We assessed the risk of bias in included RCTs through Cochrane risk of bias tool and the data synthesis was conducted through RevMan version 5.4. Results : A total of 12 RCTs were included in this review and all trials compared herbal medicine alone treatment(treatment group) with western medicine alone treatment(control group). The total effective rate(TER) of treatment group was statistically higher than that of control group(RR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.38 to 1.62, p<0.00001, I²=65%). On the other hand, when comparing except for 1 trial with different evaluation period, the TER of treatment group was statistically higher than that of control group and heterogeneity was very low(RR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.47, p<0.00001, I²=0%). And when comparing 8 trials using the total symptom score(TSS) change index as an indicator of TER, the TER of treatment group was statistically higher than that of control group and heterogeneity was very low(RR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.51, p<0.00001, I²=0%). The treatment group showed more statistically significant decrease compared to the control group in TSS(MD: -2.51, 95% CI: -2.63 to -2.40, p<0.00001, I²=99%). The relapse rate of treatment group was statistically lower than that of control group(RR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.40, p<0.00001, I²=0%). Mild adverse events such as sleepiness, dizziness were reported in control group and gastric discomfort was reported in treatment group. In the risk of bias assessment, many cases were evaluated as 'Unclear risk'. Conclusions : This review found that herbal medicine alone treatment could more effective and safe than western medicine alone treatment for cold urticaria. But further well-designed researches are needed because of heterogeneity between trials and the quality of the included trials.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.46-60
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• 2023

This study examines the appropriateness of indicators and methodologies through the evaluation of cultural services in border areas and uses them as basic data for the ecosystem service-based management of border areas, which are key domestic ecological assets. Accordingly, in this study, seven border cities and counties were evaluated and compared based on the evaluation indicators and methods presented by the National Institute of Ecology. As a result of the cultural service evaluation, it was found that Paju City was superior in leisure and tourism, Inje-gun was best in scenic beauty and heritage, and Yanggu-gun was strongest in education, and Inje-gun in heritage. Accordingly, through this study, future tasks for comprehensive cultural service evaluation were presented as follows. First, in order to evaluate ecosystem services at the national and regional levels, it is necessary to establish an indicator system for cultural service evaluation and monitoring. Second, when building a cultural service evaluation index system, it is necessary to review upper and lower conceptual units and the consistency between indicators according to the scale of the evaluation region. Third, a specific review of DB utilization for cultural service evaluation should be conducted depending on the type of ecosystem. Lastly, given the significant lack of domestic cultural service research, additional basic research must be conducted to evaluate cultural services including non-material and qualitative perceptions. In order to evaluate cultural services in the future, additional basic research is needed for each ecosystem type, and a process of finding appropriate evaluation indicators and methods through research is necessary.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 2024

This paper presents a smartphone-attachable vascular compliance monitoring module. The proposed sensor module measures photoplethysmogram (PPG) and reconstructs an accelerated PPG waveform. The feature points are extracted from the accelerated PPG waves, and vascular compliance is estimated using these extracted features. The module is powered via the smartphone's USB terminal and transmits the acquired waveforms along with vascular compliance values through Bluetooth. The transmitted waveforms and vascular compliance value are displayed through the smartphone application. This work proposes an assessment method for consistency of PPG instrumentation, and it was implemented in a processor of sensor module. The proposed sensor module can be easily attached to smartphone that does not support PPG instrumentation, providing simple measurment and numerical analysis of vascular compliance. To verify the performance of the implemented sensor module, we acquired vascular compliance and pulse pressure data from 29 subjects. Pulse pressure, which serves as a representative indicator of vascular compliance, was obtained using a commercial blood pressure monitor. The analysis results showed that the Pearson coefficient between vascular compliance and pulse pressure was 0.778, confirming a relatively high correlation between two metrics.