• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.43-52
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• 2017

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the impact of exercise with that of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on muscle tone, calf muscle stiffness, and balance ability in patients with stroke. METHODS: Thirty patients with stroke were randomly divided into an FES group (n=15) and a TENS group (n=15), and a progressive task-oriented exercise was assigned to them. These exercises were performed non-synchronously from December 5, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Patients underwent TENS and simultaneously exercised for 30 minutes daily, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. To determine the effect of the interventions, muscle tone and stiffness of the medial and lateral region of gastrocnemius muscle were measured using the MyotonPRO instrument and balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale. RESULTS: Both groups revealed a significant decrease in muscle tone and stiffness of the medial part of gastrocnemius muscle before and after the interventions (p<.05). Berg Balance Scale scores increased significantly (p<.05). However, none of the other parameters were significantly different (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Our results prove that progressive task-oriented exercise along with FES and TENS decreases muscle tone and stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle in patients with stroke and improves balance. TENS could serve as a complementary replacement for functional electrical stimulation for in-house training, as TENS poses less risk of muscle fatigue and has lesser contraindications than does functional electrical stimulation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.351-362
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• 2007

Objectives: The present study was intended to assess the mental health of nurses working for university hospitals and to establish which factors determine their mental health. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were given to 1,486 nurses employed in six participating hospitals located in Daejeon City and Chungnam Province between July 1 st and August 31st, 2006. The questionnaire items included sociodemographic, job-related, and psychosocial factors, with job stress factors (JCQ) as independent variables and indices of mental health status (PWI, SDS and MFS) as dependent variables. For statistical analysis, the Chi-square test was used for categorical variables, with hierarchical multiple regression used for determining the factors effecting mental health. The influence of psychosocial and job-related factors on mental health status was assessed by covariance structure analysis. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The factors influencing mental health status among subject nurses included sociodemographic characteristics such as age, number of hours of sleep, number of hours of leisure, and subjective health status; job-related characteristics such as status, job satisfaction, job suitability, stresses such as demands of the job, autonomy, and coworker support; and psychosocial factors such as self-esteem, locus of control and type A behavior patterns. Psychosocial factors had the greatest impact on mental health. Covariance structure analysis determined that psychosocial factors affected job stress levels and mental health status, and that the lower job stress levels were associated with better mental health. Conclusions: Based on the study results, improvement of mental health status among nurses requires the development and application of programs to manage job stress factors and/or psychosocial factors as well as sociodemographic and job-related characteristics.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 1989

The intelligent trajectory control method that controls moving direction and average velocity for a prosthetic arm is proposed by pattern recognition and force estimations using EMG signals. Also, we propose the real time trajectory planning method which generates continuous accelleration paths using 3 stage linear filters to minimize the impact to human body induced by arm motions and to reduce the muscle fatigue. We use combination of MLP and fuzzy filter for pattern recognition to estimate the direction of a muscle and Hogan`s method for the force estimation. EMG signals are acquired by using a amputation simulator and 2 dimensional joystick motion. The simulation results of proposed prosthetic arm control system using the EMf signals show that the arm is effectively followed the desired trajectory depended on estimated force and direction of muscle movements.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.115-119
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• 2006

To investigate the effects of independent suspension technology(IST) of hiking boot on the stability and load of foot, eight participants performed medial and lateral drop landing from 33.4cm height and 85cm distance to uneven surface while wearing normal & IST hiking boots. For the stability of foot during the drop landing, the balance angle & suspension angle and rearfoot angle was analyzed using high-speed video analysis. Also kinetic analysis using the force plate and insole pressure measurement was conducted to analyze vertical & breaking ground reaction force and pressure distribution. Not only the balance angle & suspension angle but also rearfoot angle was improved with IST boots for lateral drop landing. These results indicate the IST boots may have the suspension function which keeps the foot to be stable during landing. However the IST boots did not show any effect for medial landing. This might be related to the hardness of medial part of outsole. Therefore the softer outsole of medial part could be recommended. Furthermore the impact force & breaking force and insole pressure were reduced with IST boot. These results means that IST boot has not only cushioning effect but also good grip effect. Therefore the hiking boots applied the independent suspension function may help to reduce fatigue and prevent injury such as ankle sprain in hiking on uneven surface.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.151-161
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• 1996

Recently, polypropylene fiber reinforced mortar and concrete as civil and architectural materials have been used in major countries in the world. Polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete has many advantages in terms of economical aspect, chemical stability and durability. It has been reported that polypropylene fiber can control restrained tensile stresses and cracks and increase toughness, resistance to impact, corrosion, fatigue and durability. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to investigate the strength as well as many mechanical characteristics including toughness and shrinkage control properties. A specially devjsed shrinkage test has been applied to measure the crack control characteristics of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete. The present study indicates that the polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete curbs greatly the crack occurrence due to shrinkage and enhances toughness resistance. The present study provides a firm base for the efficient use of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete in actual construction such as pavements and slab structures.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.76-82
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• 2002

The rapid-set cement concrete causes high hydration temperature and nay result in a high drying shrinkage and shrinkage-induced cracking. This problem may be fixed by incorporating polypropylene fibers in rapid-set cement concrete, because of increased toughness, resistance to impact, corrosion, fatigue, and durability. A series of concrete drving shrinkage tests was peformed in order to investigate the shrinkage properties of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete with experimental variables such as concrete types, fiber reinforcement, W/C ratio, with and without restraint. Uni-axially restrained bar specimens were used for the restrained shrinkage tests. The results were as follows; The dry shrinkage of rapid-set cement concrete was much lessor than that oi OPC, probably because of smaller weight reduction rate by early hydration and strength development. The constraint and bridging effects caused by polypropylene fibers were great for the rapid-setting cement concrete when compared with that of plain concrete, and this resulted In increased resistance against tensile stress and cracking.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2010

Objectives : Indirect contact with trauma may occur when a person empathically listens to detailed descriptions, exposing the person to intense emotional pain from trauma victims. Although less severe than direct trauma, indirectly traumatized persons may experience the same fear, rage, and despair as direct trauma victims. This phenomenon has been variously termed vicarious trauma, traumatic countertransference, burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress. Using a psychiatric symptoms questionnaires, this study investigated the effects of indirect exposure to co-worker's trauma on the mental health of firefighters who had not directly experienced traumatic events in the previous year. Methods : We administered self-report questionnaires, such as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IESR) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), to firefighters working at two fire stations in a metropolitan city. We analyzed 188 of 232 collected surveys, after excluding falsely entered data (28 cases) and questionnaires by directly-traumatized victims (16 cases). Results : Alcohol consumption and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as determined by the AUDIT and IES-R, were significantly higher in the indirectly-traumatized group. The ratio of high-risk members scoring higher than 23 in IES-R was larger in the indirectly traumatized group, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusion : Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in the indirectly traumatized group. This group also included more members at high risk for PTSD. Further research, with a larger group of indirectly traumatized firefighters and ongoing investigation of PTSD development and other psychiatric symptoms, is needed.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.347-359
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• 2021

This study aims to evaluate the dynamic responses of the jacket-type offshore wind turbine using FAST software (Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence). A systematic series of simulation cases of a 5 MW jacket-type offshore wind turbine, including wind-only, wave-only, wind & wave load cases are conducted. The dynamic responses of the wind turbine structure are obtained, including the structure displacement, rotor speed, thrust force, nacelle acceleration, bending moment at the tower bottom, and shear force on the jacket leg. The calculated time-domain results are transformed to frequency domain results using FFT and the environmental load with more impact on each dynamic response is identified. It is confirmed that the dynamic displacements of the wind turbine are dominant in the wave frequency under the incident wave alone condition, and the rotor thrust, nacelle acceleration, and bending moment at the bottom of the tower exhibit high responses in the natural frequency band of the wind turbine. In the wind only condition, all responses except the vertical displacement of the wind turbine are dominant at three times the rotor rotation frequency (considering the number of blades) generated by the wind. In a combined external force with wind and waves, it was observed that the horizontal displacement is dominant by the wind load. Additionally, the bending moment on the tower base is highly affected by the wind. The shear force of the jacket leg is basically influenced by the wave loads, but it can be affected by both the wind and wave loads especially under the turbulent wind and irregular wave conditions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2021

Globally, cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the leading causes of the non-communicable disease burden. Overlapping symptoms such as breathing difficulty and fatigue, with a lack of awareness about COPD among physicians, are key reasons for under-diagnosis and resulting sub-optimal care relative to COPD. Much has been published in the past on the pathogenesis and implications of cardiovascular comorbidities in COPD. However, a comprehensive review of the prevalence and impact of COPD management in commonly encountered cardiac diseases is lacking. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current knowledge regarding the prevalence of COPD in heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and atrial fibrillation. We also discuss the real-life clinical presentation and practical implications of managing COPD in cardiac diseases. We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for studies published 1981-May 2020 reporting the prevalence of COPD in the three specified cardiac diseases. COPD has high prevalence in heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic heart disease. Despite this, COPD remains under-diagnosed and under-managed in the majority of patients with cardiac diseases. The clinical implications of the diagnosis of COPD in cardiac disease includes the recognition of hyperinflation (a treatable trait), implementation of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) prevention strategies, and reducing the risk of overuse of diuretics. The pharmacological agents for the management of COPD have shown a beneficial effect on cardiac functions and mortality. The appropriate management of COPD improves the cardiovascular outcomes by reducing hyperinflation and preventing AECOPD, thus reducing the risk of mortality, improving exercise tolerance, and quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.40-47
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• 2019

The Half-depth precast deck is a structural system that utilizes pre-cast panels pre-built at the factory as formwork at the construction stage and as a major structural member at the same time after completion. These systems have joints between segments, and the detail and performance of the joints are factors that have a very large impact on the quality, such as the constructability and durability of the bridge decks. In this study, strength performance evaluation was performed for improved joints using connecting rebar by experimental method. Static loading tests were conducted on the test specimen with improved joint, those with existing joint and those without joint. The test results of the specimens were compared to each other, and the flexural strength required by the design was compared. The flexural strength required in the design was presented by finite element analysis. It has been shown that the flexural strength of the specimens with joints were more than twice that required by the design. But the flexural strength of the specimen with existing joint was about 84% of that without joint. The flexural strength of the specimen with improved joints was a nearly similar degree of that compared to the specimen without joint. And a comparison of the moment-deflection relationship curves of the two specimens also shows a very similar flexural behavior. It is confirmed that improved joint has sufficient flexural strength. In addition to strength, the bridge decks require serviceability, such as deflection and cracking, and in particular, fatigue resistance due to repetitive live loads is an important performance factor. Therefore, further verification studies are required.