• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.454-461
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• 2021

Background: Fish and fishery products (FFPs) unintentionally contaminated with various environmental pollutants are major exposure pathways for humans. To protect human health from the consumption of contaminated FFPs, it is essential to develop a systematic tool for evaluating exposure and risks. Objectives: To regularly, accurately, and quickly evaluate adverse health outcomes due to FFPs contamination, we developed an automated dietary exposure and risk assessment system called HERA (the Human Exposure and Risk Assessment system for chemicals in FFPs). The aim of this study was to develop an overall architecture design and demonstrate the major features of the HERA system. Methods: For the HERA system, the architecture framework consisted of multi-layer stacks from infrastructure to fish exposure and risk assessment layers. To compile different contamination levels and types of seafood consumption datasets, the data models were designed for the classification codes of FFP items, contaminants, and health-based guidance values (HBGVs). A systematic data pipeline for summarizing exposure factors was constructed through down-scaling and preprocessing the 24-hour dietary recalls raw dataset from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHES). Results: According to the designed data models for the classification codes, we standardized 167 seafood items and 2,741 contaminants. Subsequently, we implemented two major functional workflows: 1) preparation and 2) main process. The HERA system was developed to enable risk assessors to accumulate the concentration databases sustainably and estimate exposure levels for several populations linked to seafood consumption data in KNAHES in a user-friendly manner and in a local PC environment. Conclusions: The HERA system will support policy-makers in making risk management decisions based on a nation-wide risk assessment for FFPs.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.108-115
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• 2021

Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful tool for evaluating brain injury and maturation in preterm infants and often requires sedation to acquire images of sufficient quality. Infant sedation is often associated with adverse events, despite extreme precautions. In this study, the swaddling technique was investigated as an alternative non-pharmacological strategy to obtain brain MRIs of sufficient quality. Methods: We applied the feed and swaddle technique during routine brain MRI as a quality improvement project and compared its morbidity with that of sedation in a historic age-matched group. Seventy-nine very low birth weight infants in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ajou University Hospital (Suwon, Korea) were enrolled. Thirty-two (40.5%) infants were in the feed and swaddling group, and 47 (59.5%) were in the sedation group. Results: The morbidity associated with the cardiopulmonary system (swaddling group vs. sedation group: 53.13% [n=17] vs. 63.83% [n=30], P=0.723) and central nervous system (40.63% [n=13] vs. 29.79% [n=14], P=0.217) were not significantly different between groups. The MRI failure rate was not significantly different (swaddling group vs. sedation group: 12.5% [n=4] vs. 4.3% [n=2], P=0.174). The MRI scanning time was longer in the swaddling group than in the sedation group (76.5±20.3 minutes vs. 61.5±13.6 minutes, P=0.001). Cardiopulmonary adverse events were significantly less common in the swaddling group than in the sedation group (3.13% [n=1] vs. 34.04% [n=16], P=0.002). Conclusion: The success rate of MRI was comparable between the swaddling technique and sedation. Furthermore, despite the drawback of prolonged scan time, cardiopulmonary adverse events are fewer with swaddling than with sedative agents. Therefore, swaddling can be an alternative to sedation or anesthesia when performing neonatal MRI scans.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.31-38
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• 2021

This study empirically investigated the user's experience with based on the Technology Acceptance Model. According to the frequency analysis results, the usability for learning was evaluated relatively higher than that for appreciation from the perspective of perceived usefulness and the technical factors such as graphics and modeling raised the issue for the quality improvement. According to the results of the correlation analysis, the usability for learning correlated with the degree of satisfaction. In addition, all detailed factors of perceived ease of use positively influenced on the degree of satisfaction and the impact of the environmental factor on the degree of satisfaction was greatest. The degree of satisfaction with the VR application significantly correlated with the degree of immersion and behavioral intention to the VR application. Therefore, this study proved the suitability for the Technology Acceptance Model as a tool for evaluating a VR application.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.171-182
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• 2021

Objectives: Recently, subjective career success has been used as a criterion for evaluating career success. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a simplified subjective career success inventory for dental hygienists. Methods: Subfactors of the subjective career success inventory consisted of career satisfaction, employability, and job satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the existing tools were evaluated through the basic items composition, content validity index (CVI), preliminary survey, and main survey process according to dental hygienists. The preliminary survey was composed of 35 questions by verifying the content validity twice from the existing 63 questions, and the main survey was conducted with a total of 12 questions. Samples were conveniently extracted from dental hygienists with a clinical career of ≥3 years and surveyed online from March 12, 2020 to June 30, 2020. Data of 320 people were collected, of which 284 were finally analyzed. The validity and reliability were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 (p<0.05). Results: The subjective career success was a shortened inventory composed of nine questions, and the overall reliability was Cronbach's α=0.841. Using exploratory factor analysis, three factors were extracted. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis, each measurement variable significantly explained the latent factor, and the fit of the model was appropriate. The fit of the model was appropriate for the structural equation model. Among the sub-factors of subjective career success, career satisfaction and job satisfaction had a significant effect on intention to stay (p<0.05). Conclusions: The simplified subjective career success inventory developed for dental hygienists was found was found to be a useful tool in terms of reliability and validity.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.299-309
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• 2019

Citation frequency is an important factor in evaluating journal quality and is used as a measure of journal impact. The citation index of a paper plays an important role in linking papers with groups of other academic papers, forming a huge and complex network. This study examines the intellectual structure of apparel research through the bibliometric citation analysis of The Research Journal of the Costume Culture (RJCC). In order to analyze the changes in the intellectual structure of the RJCC, we used the Korea Citation Index's (KCI) data (highly citing journals and highly cited journals). The NodeXL, a social network analysis tool, was used to examine the connection structure between journals. In order to identify the academic influence of the RJCC, we used the KCI journal citation index. Our findings indicate that the RJCC has a high centrality index among the clothing-oriented journals in the same life sciences field. A look at the journals citing the RJCC and the journals cited within the RJCC also showed that more journals of diverse fields have been recently linked through their citations. This suggests that a convergence of interdisciplinary research is underway in the field of clothing. As a result of examining international journals cited in the RJCC, it was confirmed that they were cited in prominent international journals in various fields.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.743-752
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• 2019

Objectives: Grip strength is a measure for assessing overall muscle strength, muscle mass, and nutritional status, and is a useful tool for early examination of a person's general health. Thus, this study analyzed the association between oral health-related factors and grip strength, using the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. Methods: Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 25.0 (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA) software with a complex sampling analysis of stratified and clustered variables, all with weighted values, applied for every analysis conducted. From the 6th KNHANES data, a total of 26,101 people were selected as the study population. A complex sample generalized linear model analysis was performed for participants' sociodemographic characteristics, health status, use of oral care products, and factors such as adult mastication and speaking habits. Results: Grip strength was found to be higher among men compared to women. Grip strength was the highest in the 20-39 year old group. Furthermore, grip strength was statistically significantly higher among married and employed individuals, and in the right hand (p<0.001). Grip strength was statistically significantly higher among people who perceived themselves to have good health and among those who did not have health-related problems in the past two weeks (p<0.001). It was also higher among those who used interdental brushes and electronic toothbrushes (p<0.001), but decreased with greater discomfort in mastication and speaking among adults (p<0.05). Conclusions: Grip strength was found to be associated with oral health-related factors and therefore, these could be helpful tools in evaluating both general and subjective health statuses. In general, oral care products are small in size with oral care involving the use of hands and certain precise motions and actions to remove foreign substances in the oral cavity. As shown in the findings, grip strength declines with increased age and as a result, the use of oral care products should be strongly recommended in order to promote better general health.

• Journal of Preventive Veterinary Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2018

The cost-effectiveness of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control strategies was evaluated using a simulation model fitted to the 2010/11 FMD epidemic in the city of Andong, Republic of Korea. Seven FMD-control strategies were evaluated with respect to the direct cost of a FMD-control strategy, such as slaughtering, movement restriction, and vaccination. All the strategies included pre-emptive slaughtering, movement restriction, and vaccination, but the levels of each control option were different. The simulated median cost of the baseline FMD-control strategy (three kilometers of pre-emptive slaughtering area, 100 days of movement restriction and vaccination of all FMD-susceptible animals in the study area) was estimated to be USD 99.7 million. When a five kilometer vaccination area was applied (with the other control measures being the same as the baseline strategy), the simulated median cost was reduced to USD 81.1 million from USD 99.7. The simulated median costs were USD 107.6 million for a five kilometer radius slaughtering area and USD 168.8 million for 60 days of movement restriction. The FMD-control strategy cost decreased with increasing number of farms depopulated per day. The probability of passive surveillance being effective or the probability of the successful implementation of movement restrictions were increased. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a suitable tool for evaluating the financial consequences of FMD-control strategies by comparing the cost of control strategies for a specific area.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.29
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• pp.367-389
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• 2012

The aim of this paper is to briefly consider the present state regarding Korean language education for multicultural family members, and to consider the outcomes produced so far. Married woman immigrants and their children must be one of the most significant groups for Korean language education in terms of their huge number and their roles and meanings in Korean society. In order to uplift the Korean communicative ability for multicultural family members, an effective operating system for Korean language education is needed, and also live and efficient Korean language instruction must be given by capable Korean language teachers with adequate teaching materials. A customized Korean language education must also be offered based on researches about the characteristics of multicultural family members as "Korean language learners". Korean language education for married woman immigrants has almost been set up in some extent, in terms of teaching materials and the teacher training system. Therefore, an efficient operating system must be constructed so that the developed teaching materials can be actively utilized in the site of Korean language education. A periodical retraining of Korean language teachers for multicultural family members is also necessary for the improvement of Korean language teaching efficiency. However, Korean language education for multicultural children is still in its infancy due to its late start-up. By the support of the Korean government, the curriculum of Korean language education has recently been fixed, KSL text books are being developed, and a diagnostic tool for evaluating their Korean language ability is now in progress. Many continuing concerns and support must still be provided for the improvement of their Korean language ability and fostering them as competitive and capable of speaking Korean.

• International journal of thyroidology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 2017

Background and Objectives: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performances of grayscale ultrasound (US) and quantitative parameters obtained from texture analysis of grayscale US and elastography images in evaluating patients with diffuse thyroid disease (DTD). Materials and Methods: From September to December 2012, 113 patients (mean age, $43.4{\pm}10.7years$) who had undergone preoperative staging US and elastography were included in this study. Assessment of the thyroid parenchyma for the diagnosis of DTD was made if US features suggestive of DTD were present. Nine histogram parameters were obtained from the grayscale US and elastography images, from which 'grayscale index' and 'elastography index' were calculated. Diagnostic performances of grayscale US, texture analysis using grayscale US and elastography were calculated and compared. Results: Of the 113 patients, 85 (75.2%) patients were negative for DTD and 28 (24.8%) were positive for DTD on pathology. The presence of US features suggestive of DTD showed significantly higher rates of DTD on pathology, 60.7% to 8.2% (p<0.001). Specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value was highest in US features, 91.8%, 84.1%, and 87.6%, respectively (all ps<0.05). Grayscale index showed higher sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) than US features. All diagnostic performances were higher for grayscale index than the elastography index. Area under the curve of US features was the highest, 0.762, but without significant differences to grayscale index or mean of elastography (all ps>0.05). Conclusion: Diagnostic performances were the highest for grayscale US features in diagnosis of DTD. Grayscale index may be used as a complementary tool to US features for improving sensitivity and NPV.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.74-95
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• 2021

Background: A job-exposure matrix (JEM) is an important surrogate indicator to evaluate past exposure levels. Although a Korean asbestos JEM has been constructed previously, this JEM includes only a few industrial and occupational groups. This study aimed to reconstruct the JEM by integrating the latest organized data to improve its utility. Methods: We used recent Korean standard industry and occupation codes and extracted 36 articles from a systematic literature review to initiate the reconstruction of the previous Korean asbestos JEM. The resulting data consisted of 141 combinations of industrial and occupational groups. Data from the Netherlands's JEM were also reviewed and categorized into 70 industrial and 117 occupational groups by matching with the Korean data. We also utilized Germany's data, which consisted of 10 industrial and 14 occupational groups. Results: The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM had 141 combinations of industries and occupations. The time periods are from the 1980s to the 2000s in 10-year intervals. Most of the data were distributed between the 1990s and the 2000s. Occupations with high exposure to asbestos included knitting and weaving machine operators, automobile mechanics or assemblers, ship mechanics or assemblers, mineral ore and stone products processing mechanics, and metal casting machine operators or mold makers. Conclusions: The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM has expanded the type and duration of the occupational groups of the previous JEM and can serve as an important reference tool for evaluating asbestos exposure and designing compensation and prevention policies in Korea.