• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2021

Objectives: Recent studies have suggested that assessing handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry together with HGS may be helpful for evaluating problems in geriatric patients. This study aimed to identify whether HGS asymmetry, weakness, or both were associated with depression in Korean older adults. Methods: This study included 4274 subjects from the sixth and seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The maximum HGS of the dominant hand was used as a representative value. HGS symmetry was categorized by the ratio of the HGS of the dominant hand to that of non-dominant hand. The odds ratio (OR) for depression was calculated according to the HGS and its symmetry. Results: In total, 240 (12.5%) men and 534 (22.7%) women had depression. HGS or HGS asymmetry showed no statistically significant associations with depression in elderly men. Elevated odds of depression were observed in elderly women with low HGS (OR, 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 2.81) or prominent HGS asymmetry (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.08). There was a positive additive interaction between asymmetric HGS and weakness, as women with low and prominently asymmetric HGS showed higher odds of depression (OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 2.16 to 6.59) than women with high and symmetric HGS. Conclusions: Depression in elderly Korean women was associated with both low and asymmetric HGS. Our findings support the potential value of HGS asymmetry as an indicator of HGS.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.124-128
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• 2020

Output power of photovoltaic (PV) modules installed outdoors decreases every year due to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet irradiations. In order to promote the installation of PV modules, the reliability must be guaranteed. One of the important factors affecting reliability is intermetallic compounds (IMC) layer formed in ribbon solder joint. For this reason, various studies on soldering properties between the ribbon and cell have been performed to solve the reliability deterioration caused by excessive growth of the IMC layer. However, the IMC layer of the PV module interconnected by multi-wires has been studied less than using the ribbon. It is necessary to study soldering characteristics of the multi-wire module for improvement of its reliability. In this study, we analyzed the growth of IMC layer of the PV module with multi-wire and the degradation of output power through damp-heat test. The fabricated modules were exposed to damp-heat conditions (85 ºC and 85 % relative humidity) for 1000 hours and the output powers of the modules before and after the damp-heat test were measured. Then, the process of dissolving ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as an encapsulant of the modules was performed to observe the IMC layer. The growth of IMC layer was evaluated using OM and FE-SEM for cross-sectional analysis and EDS for elemental mapping. Based on these results, we investigated the correlation between the IMC layer and output power of modules.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.431-440
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to predict rabies protective behaviors (RPB) based on protection motivation theory (PMT) among fourth-grade students at schools in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021. A multistage sampling technique was used for sample selection. The questionnaire was divided into socio-demographic data and questions related to PMT and RPB. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using the EpiData program and inferential statistics, and the results were tested using the partial least squares model with a significance level of less than 5%. Results: In total, 287 subjects were included, of whom 62.4% were girls and 40.4% reported that YouTube was their favorite media platform. Most participants had good perceived vulnerability, response efficacy, and self efficacy levels related to rabies (43.9, 68.6, and 73.2%, respectively). However, 54.5% had only fair perceived severity levels related to rabies. Significant positive correlations were found between RPB and the PMT constructs related to rabies (β, 0.298; p<0.001), and the school variable (S4) was also a predictor of RPB (β, -0.228; p<0.001). Among the PMT constructs, self efficacy was the strongest predictor of RPB (β, 0.741; p<0.001). Conclusions: PMT is a useful framework for predicting RPB. Future RPB or prevention/protection intervention studies based on PMT should focus on improving self efficacy and response efficacy, with a particular focus on teaching students not to intervene with fighting animals. The most influential PMT constructs can be used for designing tools and implementing and evaluating future educational interventions to prevent rabies in children.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.34-44
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the level of Person-centered Critical Care Nursing (PCCN) and the factors influencing PCCN for nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Methods: This study was designed by cross-sectional descriptive correlational study. The participants included 147 ICU nurses in two general hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Demographic characteristics, PCCN, communication skills, professionalism, and work environment were measured. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple linear regression with the SPSS/Win 25.0 program. Results: The average age of the participants was 29.6±4.7 years and the mean work experience in the ICU was 4.67±3.52 years. The level of PCCN was 3.70±0.41, which was moderate to high, and it significantly showed a positive correlation with therapeutic communication skills (r=.66, p<.001), global interpersonal communication competence (r=.42, p<.001), professionalism (r=.38, p<.001), and work environment (r=.16, p=.048). The factors influencing PCCN were identified as therapeutic communication skill and global interpersonal communication competence (Adj R²=.45, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study were confirmed that the strategies to promote PCCN are necessary to enhance therapeutic communication skill and global interpersonal communication competence. In addition, they may be particularly meaningful in providing basic data for nursing education and future intervention development research to promote PCCN for the ICU nurses. For improving PCCN for healthcare providers in ICU, further studies should be conducted to develop education and intervention programs.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.116-123
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• 2022

Background: Recently, there have been various developments in medical service robots (MSRs). However, few studies have examined the perceptions of those who use it. The purpose of this study is to identify user perceptions of MSRs. Methods: We conducted a survey of 320 patients, doctors, and nurses. The contents of the survey were organized as follows: external appearances, perceptions, expected utilization, possible safety accidents, and awareness of their responsibilities. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of variance. Results: The most preferred appearance was the animal type, with a screen. The overall average score of positive questions was 3.64±0.98 of 5 points and that of negative questions was 3.24±0.99. Thus, the results revealed that the participants had positive perceptions of MSR. The overall average of all expected utilization was 4.05±0.84. The most expected utilization was to guide hospital facilities. The most worrisome accident was exposure to personal information. Moreover, participants thought that the overall responsibility of the robot user (hospital) was greater than that of the robot manufacturer in the case of safety accidents. Conclusion: The perceptions of MSRs used in hospital wards were positive, and the overall expected utilization was high. It is necessary to recognize safety accidents for such robots, and sufficient attention is required when developing and manufacturing robots.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.471-480
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• 2021

Objectives: Cadmium is widely used, leading to extensive environmental and occupational exposure. Unlike other organs, for which the harmful and carcinogenic effects of cadmium have been established, the hepatotoxicity of cadmium remains unclear. Some studies detected correlations between cadmium exposure and hepatotoxicity, but others concluded that they were not associated. Thus, we investigated the relationship between cadmium and liver damage in the general population. Methods: In total, 11 838 adult participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2015 were included. Urinary cadmium levels and the following liver function parameters were measured: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TB), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between urinary cadmium concentrations and each liver function parameter after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, annual family income, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, physical activity, and body mass index. Results: The covariate-adjusted results of the linear regression analyses showed significant positive relationships between log-transformed urinary cadmium levels and each log-transformed liver function parameter, where beta±standard error of ALT, AST, GGT, TB, and ALP were 0.049±0.008 (p<0.001), 0.030±0.006 (p<0.001), 0.093±0.011 (p<0.001), 0.034±0.009 (p<0.001), and 0.040±0.005 (p<0.001), respectively. Logistic regression also revealed statistically significant results. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of elevated ALT, AST, GGT, TB, and ALP per unit increase in log-transformed urinary cadmium concentration were 1.360 (1.210 to 1.528), 1.307 (1.149 to 1.486), 1.520 (1.357 to 1.704), 1.201 (1.003 to 1.438), and 1.568 (1.277 to 1.926), respectively. Conclusions: Chronic exposure to cadmium showed positive associations with liver damage.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2022

Background: Veterinarians may encounter a variety of zoonotic pathogens in their work. Methods: We conducted two cross-sectional questionnaire studies among veterinarians in Finland. Participants were recruited during two Annual Veterinary Congresses. In 2009, 306 veterinarians participated in an extensive questionnaire study, and in 2016, 262 veterinarians participated in a more focused study that included two same questions. Results: In 2009, the majority (90.9%) of the participating veterinarians reported having been occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Zoonotic infections (15.0%), needle stick incidents (78.8%), bites (85.0%), as well as infected skin lesions (24.2%) were reported. In 2009, 8.2% of the participants fully agreed with the statement "I have good knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention"; in 2016, the proportion was 10.3%. The reported use of protective practices and personal protective equipment in connection with specific veterinary procedures indicated that there was room for improvement, particularly in protection from pathogens that are transmissible via inhalation and mucous membranes. Conclusion: The results confirm that veterinarians are commonly occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Education should aim to improve and maintain the knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention. Use of protective practices should be advocated.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.443-458
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• 2020

Aim: This study investigated the association between leisure activities and cognitive impairment in Korean community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Among participants of the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans, 10,055 (male=4,277, female=5,778) were included in this cross-sectional study. To better identify the association between late-life cognition and leisure activities, individual leisure activities were categorized into 3 types including productive, consumptive, and unclassified activities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between participation in leisure activities and cognitive impairment when controlling for possible covariates evidenced by previous studies. Results: Male participants were more likely to be cognitively impaired than female ones with significant differences in all the covariates. After controlling for confounding variables, involvement in productive leisure activities was found to be associated with cognitive function in both male and female groups, along with age, educational level, depressive symptoms, subjective hearing problems, and occupational status. Conclusion: Involvement in productive leisure activities might be associated with decreased risk of cognitive impairment in later life. Appropriate strategies to encourage older adults to participate in productive leisure activities should be established to help them maintain their cognitive function.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.193-203
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• 2022

In this study, in order to compare the seismic performance of steel structure beam-column connection details and non-scallop connection details mainly used in Korea, a full-scale static cyclic loading test and FEM analysis were conducted through the same modeling as the experiment. For quantitative numerical comparison, the strain concentration ratio and moment transfer efficiency used in previous studies were cited. As the welding area of the beam web decreased, the deformation rate of the beam flange increased, and the plastic deformation capacity according to the rotation angle decreased or brittle fracture occurred. Comparing the analysis results with the experimental results, the possibility of brittle fracture tended to increase when the web welding ratio for the total cross-sectional area of H-shaped fell below 60%.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2022

Background: The current guidelines for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) recommend that APN be diagnosed based on the clinical features and the presence of pyuria. However, we observed that some of the patients who are diagnosed with APN do not have characteristic clinical features or pyuria at the initial examination. We performed this study to investigate the characteristics of APN without pyuria. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on 391 patients diagnosed with APN based on clinical and radiologic findings, between 2015 and 2019. The clinical features, laboratory results, and computed tomography (CT) findings were compared between patients with normal white blood cell (WBC) counts and those with abnormal WBC counts (WBC of 0-5/high power field [HPF] vs. >5/HPF) in urine. Results: More than 50% of patients with APN had no typical urinary tract symptoms and one-third of them had no costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness. Eighty-eight patients (22.5%) had normal WBC counts (0-5/HPF) on urine microscopy. There was a negative correlation between pyuria (WBC of >5/HPF) and previous antibiotic use (odds ratio, 0.249; 95% confidence interval, 0.140-0.441; p<0.001), and the probability of pyuria was reduced by 75.1% in patients who took antibiotics before visiting the emergency room. Conclusion: The diagnosis of APN should not be overlooked even if there are no typical clinical features, or urine microscopic examination is normal. If a patient has already taken antibiotics at the time of diagnosis, imaging studies such as CT should be performed more actively, regardless of the urinalysis results.