• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2018

The growth of the older population is expected to further increase social problems associated with population aging, such as isolation, poverty, and depression. The emerging issues associated with the older population are also expected to provide further momentum on studies about the dwelling environment as factors that ensure the health of older people as well as improve their quality of life. Therefore, approaches for explaining the issues of the older age group should be diversified using a variety of factors and appropriate analytic tools. Studies on measuring depression have principally focused on assessing an objective self-report questionnaire, usually in a highly structured, textual form which may not reflect the cognitive impairment of older adults. The aim of this study was to define and measure dwelling depression among older adults in Korea. There are two specific hypotheses in this study as follows: (a) there will be statistically significant relationships with dwelling dissatisfaction and depression, and (b) dwelling depression tools containing text and images will be, respectively, assessment tools that have a good construct with content validity and reliability. In the first experiment, to define and measure dwelling depression, 301 people over 65 years old living in single and two-person households were surveyed using a text-based dwelling depression questionnaires from September 1-30, 2017. In the second experiment, to examine whether the projective image questionnaire could serve as a suitable replacement for the text-based questionnaires, the same participants were surveyed from January 22 to February 2, 2018. The results show that depression has a close correlation with dwelling dissatisfaction. In addition, the geriatric dwelling depression index (GDDI) based on the projective image was refined. Additionally, the projective image questionnaire has a close correlation with the text-based questionnaire. Finally, through ROC curve analysis, it was found that the projective image questionnaire can accurately predict a depression group. To this end, this preliminary study examined the validity of the projective image questionnaire in older adults to make this instrument feasible for older populations and to contribute to a profound understanding of geriatric depression due to the living environment. We hope they will provide a basis for further research on psychological diagnoses using projective images.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.112-117
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa (RGF) in Korean adult population without symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: CBCT Data from 111 Korean adult patients aged ${\geq}25years$ (55 males and 56 females) without signs and symptoms of TMD were analyzed retrospectively in this study. The thickness of the RGF was determined as the perpendicular distance between the 'glenoid fossa line' and 'middle cranial fossa line' on parasagittal and paracoronal reconstructions, respectively. The thickness of the RGF according to sex and age was analyzed using t-tests (p<0.05). Differences were also examined between the right and left sides, and between the paracoronal and parasagittal sides. Results: The mean thickness of the RGF in all subjects was $0.75{\pm}0.39mm$; there was no significant difference in thickness between male ($0.78{\pm}0.36mm$) and female ($0.72{\pm}0.30mm$). We found no correlation between age and the mean thickness of the RGF, when age was grouped by decade. However, when subjects were divided into >40 years and ${\leq}40years$ age groups, the thickness of the RGF was significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: We found that the thickness of the RGF did not differ by sex, but might be affected by aging. Further studies with larger numbers of subjects are needed to confirm the results of this study.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 2019

The sustainable development principle of replacing natural resources with renewable material is an important research topic. In this study, waste LCD (liquid crystal display) glass powder was used to replace cement (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) through a volumetric method using three water-binder ratios (0.47, 0.59, and 0.71) to make cement mortar. The compressive strength was tested at the ages of 7, 28, 56 and 91 days. The test results show that the compressive strength increases with age but decreases as the water-binder ratio increases. The compressive strength slightly decreases with an increase in the replacement of LCD glass powder at a curing age of 7 days. However, at a curing age of 91 days, the compressive strength is slightly greater than that for the control group (glass powder is 0%). When the water-binder ratios are 0.47, 0.59 and 0.71, the compressive strength of the various replacements increases by 1.38-1.61 times, 1.56-1.80 times and 1.45-2.20 times, respectively, during the aging process from day 7 to day 91. Furthermore, a prediction model of the compressive strength of a cement mortar with waste LCD glass powder was deduced in this study. According to the comparison between the prediction analysis values and test results, the MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) values of the compressive strength are between 2.79% and 5.29%, and less than 10%. Thus, the analytical model established in this study has a good forecasting accuracy. Therefore, the proposed model can be used as a reliable tool for assessing the design strength of cement mortar from early age test results.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.285-291
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• 2019

This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing health-related quality of life of urinary incontinent elderly women. The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) was used as baseline data to evaluate how activity limitation, depression experience and subjective health perception influence the health-related quality of life of urinary incontinent elderly women. The urinary incontinent elderly women differed significantly in terms of activity limitation, depression experience, subjective health perception influence and health-related quality of life compared to elderly women without incontinence. In contrast, income and education were not correlated with either of the aforementioned groups. The subjective health perception was identified as the only factor influencing the health-related quality of life of urinary incontinent elderly women. The results of this study will serve as basic data for positive treatment promotion and development of assessment programs for incontinence patients who recognize incontinence symptoms as part of the aging process and are therefore unwilling to receive care.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.555-566
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• 2020

Recently, the aging of public facilities in Korea have accelerated, and the existing framework for facility management is shifting toward to facility asset management in terms of performance-based proactive control. Therefore, the operation of public facility involves both safety assurance from the deteriorated facilities and management capabilities for sustainable maintenance in the required valuation and level of service, such as valuation of facility assets, life-cycle management plans, financing, and so on. In this study, the Facility Asset Management Indicator(FAMI) has been developed for public facility asset management, and it provides the quantitative management grade, based on international standards, such as ISO 55000 series and International Infrastructure Management Manual(IIMM). The FMMI includes 10 key areas to apply a diagnosis model into management capabilities, 113 detailed elements, and 5 maturity grades. As the importance of public facility asset management is increasing constantly, this is expected to identify previously the strengths and weaknesses of public facility operating institutions. Eventually, they can obtain the effective ways to improve their own capabilities, minimize the public funds, establish the strategies for innovating the current management structures, and operate stably the facilities in the required performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2021

In general, the industrial complex is a place where factories of various industries are concentrated. It is only as efficient as it is designed. However, the risks vary as there are various industries. These features are also associated with various types of disasters. The dangers of natural disasters such as a typhoon, flood, and earthquake, as well as fire and explosions, are also latent. Many of these risks can make stable production and business activities difficult, resulting in massive direct and indirect damage. In particular, decades after its establishment, the vulnerabilities increase even more as aging and small businesses are considered. In this sense, it is significant to assess the vulnerability of the industrial complex. Thus analysing fire and explosion hazards as stage 1 of the vulnerability evaluation for the major potential disasters for the industrial complex. First, fire vulnerabilities were analyzed quantitatively. It is displayed in blocks for each company. The assessment block status and the fire vulnerability rating status were conducted by applying the five-step criteria. Level A is the highest potential risk step and E is the lowest step. Level A was 11.8% in 20 blocks, level B was 22.5% in 38 blocks, level C was 25.4% in 43 blocks, level D was 26.0% in 44 blocks, and level E was 14.2% in 24 blocks. Levels A and B with high fire vulnerabilities were analyzed at 34.3%. Secondly, the vulnerability for an explosion was quantitatively analyzed. Explosive vulnerabilities were analyzed at 4.7% for level A with 8 blocks, 3.0% for level B with 5, 1.8% for level C with 3, 4.7% for level D with 8, and 85.8% for level E with 145. Levels A and B, which are highly vulnerable to explosions, were 7.7 %. Thirdly, the overall vulnerability can be assessed by adding disaster vulnerabilities to make future assessments. Moreover, it can also assist in efficient safety and disaster management by visually mapping quantified data. This will also be used for the integrated control center of the N-Industrial Complex, which is currently being installed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.420-430
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• 2022

The study attempted a comprehensive assessment of factors affecting health-related quality of life in the young-old and old-old. Data from the Community Health Survey for 5 years from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed. Research Results Health-related quality of life appears to be higher in the elderly than in the late-stage elderly, and various factors such as age, education level, household income, presence or absence of economic activity, presence or absence of moderate physical activity, stress or presence, and subjective health level Has been found to affect health-related quality of life. In particular, good or bad subjective health and subjective oral health had the greatest influence. In terms of the household type, the quality of life was high in young-old adults living in a three-generation household and old-old adults living in a one-generation household. Considering these characteristics, public policy programs should be developed and implemented to help the elderly with successful aging by improving their quality of life.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.188-199
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• 2021

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease with increased prevalence in the elderly. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosome, which progressively shorten as cells divide. Telomere length is known to be a molecular marker of aging. This study aimed to assess the relationship between telomere length and the risk of COPD, lung function, respiratory symptoms, and emphysema index in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Dusty Areas (CODA) cohort. Methods: We extracted DNA from the peripheral blood samples of 446 participants, including 285 COPD patients and 161 control participants. We measured absolute telomere length using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All participants underwent spirometry and quantitative computed tomography scan. Questionnaires assessing respiratory symptoms and the COPD Assessment Test was filled by all the participants. Results: The mean age of participants at the baseline visit was 72.5±7.1 years. Males accounted for 72% (321 participants) of the all participants. The mean telomere length was lower in the COPD group compared to the non-COPD group (COPD, 16.81±13.90 kb; non-COPD, 21.97±14.43 kb). In COPD patients, 112 (75.7%) were distributed as tertile 1 (shortest), 91 (61.1%) as tertile 2 and 82 (55%) as tertile 3 (longest). We did not find significant associations between telomere length and lung function, exacerbation, airway wall thickness, and emphysema index after adjusting for sex, age, and smoking status. Conclusion: In this study, the relationship between various COPD phenotypes and telomere length was analyzed, but no significant statistical associations were shown.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.185-201
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• 2022

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is used to provide reliable information about the structure's integrity in near realtime following extreme incidents such as earthquakes, considering the inevitable aging and degradation that occurs in operating environments. This paper experimentally investigates an integrated wireless sensor network (Wi-SN) based monitoring technique for damage detection in concrete structures. An effective SHM technique can be used to detect potential structural damage based on post-earthquake data. Two novel methods are proposed for damage detection in reinforced concrete (RC) building structures including: (i) Jerk Energy Method (JEM), which is based on time-domain analysis, and (ii) Modal Contributing Parameter (MCP), which is based on frequency-domain analysis. Wireless accelerometer sensors are installed at each story level to monitor the dynamic responses from the building structure. Prior knowledge of the initial state (immediately after construction) of the structure is not required in these methods. Proposed methods only use responses recorded during ambient vibration state (i.e., operational state) to estimate the damage index. Herein, the experimental studies serve as an illustration of the procedures. In particular, (i) a 3-story shear-type steel frame model is analyzed for several damage scenarios and (ii) 2-story RC scaled down (at 1/6th) building models, simulated and verified under experimental tests on a shaking table. As a result, in addition to the usual benefits like system adaptability, and cost-effectiveness, the proposed sensing system does not require a cluster of sensors. The spatial information in the real-time recorded data is used in global damage identification stage of SHM. Whereas in next stage of SHM, the damage is detected at the story level. Experimental results also show the efficiency and superior performance of the proposed measuring techniques.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.81-93
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a model for comprehensively evaluating the risk of sarcopenia in Korean adults and to generate the sarcopenia risk scorecard model based on the results. Methods: The participants of the study were 7,118 adults without sarcopenia in the first basic survey, and a longitudinal analysis was conducted using data from the 1st to 8th survey (2006-2020) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). The data were analyzed using Rao-Scott chi-square test and weighted Cox proportional hazards regression of complex sampling design. The sarcopenia risk scorecard model was developed by Cox proportional hazards regression using points to double the odds (PDO) method. Results: The findings show that the risk factors for sarcopenia in Korean adults were gender, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), regular exercise, diabetes and arthritis diagnosis. In the scorecard results, the case of exposure to the highest risk level was 100 points. The highest score range were given in the order of age over 65, low BMI, and low socioeconomic status. Conclusions: The significance of this study is that the causal relationship between various factors and the occurrence of sarcopenia in Korean adults was identified. Also, the model developed in this study is expected to be useful in detecting participants with risk of sarcopenia in the community early and preventing and managing sarcopenia through appropriate health education.