• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.402-410
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• 2018

Background: Monitoring appropriate medication categories can provide early warning of certain disease outbreaks. This study aimed to present a methodology for selecting and monitoring medications relevant to the surveillance of acute respiratory tract infections, such as influenza. Methods: To estimate correlations between acute febrile respiratory tract infection and some medication categories, the cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) was used and established. Two databases were used: real-time prescription trend of antivirals, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics using Drug Utilization Review Program between 2012 and 2015 and physicians' number of encounters with acute febrile respiratory tract infections such as influenza outbreaks using the national level health insurance claims data. The seasonality was also evaluated using the CCC. Results: After selecting six candidate diseases that require extensive monitoring, influenza with highly specific medical treatment according to the health insurance claims data and its medications were chosen as final candidates based on a data-driven approach. Antiviral medications and influenza were significantly correlated. Conclusion: An annual correlation was observed between influenza and antiviral medications, anti-inflammatory drugs. Suitable models should be established for syndromic surveillance of influenza.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2023

This study was conducted with the purpose of measuring the disaster damage reduction effect according to the provision of the early warning service ahead of the nationwide expansion. The damage reduction effect was measured using insurance data for 19 insured crops in areas that early warning services were provided during the period from 2017 to 2020. As a result of the measurement, it was analyzed that the early warning service had the effect of preventing or reducing disaster damage to farms. In particular, it was found that the disaster reduction effect was greater when disaster prevention facilities were equipped. The implications obtained from the results are as follows. First, by presenting subjectively experienced disaster reduction cases as numerical effects using insurance data with public confidence and objectivity, it can be used as basic data such as expansion of service area, discount of insurance premium with service adoption, and promotional materials for service subscription for early warning service. Second, in expanding and distributing early warning services, giving priority to areas or crops equipped with disaster prevention facilities can help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the project.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2017

The phycocyanin pigment (PC) is a marker for cyanobacterial presence in eutrophic inland water. Accurate estimation of low PC concentration in turbid inland water is challenging due to the optical complexity and criticalforissuing an early warning of potentialrisks of cyanobacterial bloom to the public. To monitor cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic inland waters, an approach is proposed to partition non-water absorption coefficient from measured reflectance and to retrieve absorption coefficient of PC with the aim of improving the accuracy in remotely estimated PC, in particular for low concentrations. The proposed inversion model retrieves absorption spectra of PC ($a_{pc}({\lambda})$) with $R^2{\geq}0.8$ for $a_{pc}(620)$. The algorithm achieved more accurate Chl-a and PC estimation with $0.71{\leq}R^2{\leq}0.85$, relative root mean square error (rRMSE) ${\leq}39.4%$ and mean relative error(RE) ${\leq}78.0%$ than the widely used semi-empirical algorithm for the same dataset. In particular, low PC ($PC{\leq}50mg/m^3$) and low PC: Chl-a ratio values of for all datasets used in this study were well predicted by the proposed algorithm.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2008

Application of biomarkers for assessing marine environmental health risk is a relatively new field. According to the National Research Council and the World Health Organization, biomarkers can be divided into three classes: biomarkers of exposure, biomarkers of effect, and biomarkers of susceptibility. In order to assess exposure to or effect of the environmental pollutants on marine ecosystem, the following set of biomarkers can be examined: detoxification, oxidative stress, biotransformation products, stress responses, apoptosis, physiological metabolisms, neuromuscular responses, reproductions, steroid hormones, antioxidants, genetic modifications. Since early 1990s, several biomarker research groups have developed health indices of marine organisms to be used for assessing the state of the marine environment. Biomarker indices can be used to interpret data obtained from monitoring biological effects. In this review, we will summarize Health assessment Index, Biomarker Index, Bioeffect Assessment Index and Generalized Linear Model. Measurements of biomarker responses and development of biomarker index in marine organisms from contaminated sites offer great a lot of information, which can be used in environmental monitoring programs, designed for various aspects of ecosystem risk assessment.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.239-248
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the elderly physical fitness test for elderly people living in urban areas and to evaluate the physical fitness level according to gender and age groups. Methods: The subjects were 180 elderly people aged 65 and over living in urban areas. The elderly people were classified into early old age, middle old age, and advanced old age groups. Five items of the physical fitness test for the elderly (arm curl, chair stand, 2 min step test, back scratch, and chair sit and reach). Results: In analyzing the average of each item by gender and age, a significant difference was found in the results of each item as age increased in all sports, but no difference was observed according to gender except dumbbell lifting. Conclusion: Although the physical fitness level of all ages decreased from early age to late age, the difference in physical fitness according to gender was not significant except the arm curl test. The results of this study can be used as basic data for a new "age-specific exercise program" for the elderly.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.178-185
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• 2002

The object of this paper is to investigate the effects of early fuel evaporators on cold driveability of gasoline passenger cars. Experiment has been carried out for the assessment cold start performance and cold driveability. And fuel consumption rate, emission and cylinder pressure were measured. On the base of combustion pressure of cylinder, rate of heat release, cumulative heat release amount and burned mass fraction are evaluated. The results show that fuel consumption rate is increased by 17.7%, monoxide and hydrocarbon were reduced by 23% and by 45% respectively, fluctuations of indicated mean effective pressure and maximum combustion pressure were increased by 4∼6%, fuel consumption rate per power was improved by 0.2∼2.3%. These are caused by the fact maximum heat release period and main combustion period are getting short.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.328-332
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• 2018

Background: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) can be applied in brain-dead donors for organ perfusion before donation, thereby expanding the donor pool. The aim of this study was to examine the benefits and early clinical outcomes of ECLS for organ preservation. Methods: Between June 2012 and April 2017, 9 patients received ECLS with therapeutic intent or for organ preservation. The following data were collected: demographics, purpose and duration of ECLS, cause of death, dose of vasoactive drugs, and need for temporary dialysis before organ retrieval. The early clinical outcomes of recipients were studied, as well as survival and graft function at 1 month. Results: ECLS was initiated for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 5 patients. The other patients needed ECLS due to hemodynamic deterioration during the assessment of brain death. We successfully retrieved 18 kidneys, 7 livers, and 1 heart from 9 donors. All organs were transplanted and none were discarded. Only 1 case of delayed kidney graft function was noted, and all 26 recipients were discharged without any significant complications. Conclusion: The benefits of protecting the vital organs of donors is significant, and ECLS for organ preservation can be widely used in the transplantation field.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.16 s.16
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• pp.5-14
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• 2004

Luminescence dating is based upon the premise that several commonly occurring minerals (e.g. quartz and feldspar) can be used as natural dosimeters, recording the amount of radiation to which they have been exposed. We report results of optical dating on quartz samples separated from archaeological remains (burnt soils and potteries), which were excavated at Myungam-Ri, Asan, and Chungnam province and at Sayang-Ri, Chinchun, Chungbuk province, considered as the cultural site of the early Bronze Age. The resultant dates were in good agreement with the ages derived by archaeological assessment. It is concluded that the optical dating introduced in here should contribute significantly to future archaeological dating work.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2007

Purpose: There is a need to apply the Tai Chi program to help early mastectomy patients improve their upper limb functions and for the emotional state as well. Method: Participants were recruited at breast cancer centers of two general hospitals from February 17 to April 25, 2005. Twenty-five subjects in the experimental group and 23 subjects in the control group participated for 12 weeks. The Tai chi program consisted of breast cancer self management education and a Tai Chi exercise program. Range of motion of the shoulder joint was determined by the Uni-level inclinometer, and functional assessment of the shoulder was evaluated with the tool. Data was analyzed by SPSS 11. Results: The experimental group had significantly increased shoulder range of motion, especially in external rotation, upper limb function and emotional state compared with the control group after program for 12 weeks. Conclusion: This program makes it possible to be independent and have a positive everyday life. In addition, it can help keep a healthy lifestyle in mastectomy women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2014

Gastric cancer is highly invasive, aggressively malignant, and amongst the most prevalent of all forms of cancer. Despite improved management strategies, early stage diagnosis of gastric cancer and accurate prognostic assessment is still lacking. Several recent reports have indicated that the pathogenesis of gastric cancer involves complex molecular mechanisms and multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Functional inactivation of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog) has been detected in multiple cases of gastric cancer, and already shown to be closely linked to the development, progression and prognosis of the disease. Inactivation of PTEN can be attributed to gene mutation, loss of heterozygosity, promoter hypermethylation, microRNA- mediated regulation of gene expression, and post-translational phosphorylation. PTEN is also involved in mechanisms regulating tumor resistance to chemotherapy. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of PTEN and its roles in gastric cancer, and emphasizes its potential benefits in early diagnosis and gene therapy-based treatment strategies.