• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.82-96
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• 2019

Objective: The aims of this study were to provide the basic data for establishing a precautionary management policy and to develop a methodology for selecting a radon management priority target area suitable for the Korean domestic environment. Methods: A suitable mapping method for the domestic environment was derived by conducting a quantitative comparison of predicted values and measured values that were calculated through implementation of two models such as IDW and RBF methods. And a qualitative comparison including the clarity of information transmission of the written radon map was carried out. Results: The predicted and measured values were obtained through the implementation of the spatial analysis models. The IDW method showed the lowest in the calculated mean square error and had a higher correlation coefficient than the other methods. As results of comparing the uncertainty using the jackknife concept and the concept of error distance for comparison of the differences according to the model interpolation method, the sum of the error distances showed a modest increase compared with the RBF method. As a result of qualitatively comparing the information transfer clarity between the radon maps prepared with the predicted values through the model implementation, it was found that the maps plotted using the predicted values by the implementation of the IDW method had greater clarity in terms of highness and lowness of radon concentration per area compared with the maps plotted by other methods. Conclusions: The radon management priority area suggests selecting a metropolitan city including an area with a high radon concentration.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.124-130
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• 2017

This study is aimed to find out whether there is difference in the physiological change of a human body according to the illumination and color of interior space or not and to specify the effect of the condition of illumination and color, respectively on the attention. In order to do so, White and Green were selected for colors and 4,000k, 5,000k, and 6000k were done for color temperature, and then attention was identified. Examining the results, the more color temperature increased, the more attention improved (P < 0.05), and in the case of EEG, ${\alpha}$ wave decreased while performing the task of attention (P < 0.01), and ${\beta}$ wave decreased more in Green than White in color condition, and it increased more in 4,000k than 5,000k and 6,000k (p < 0.05) in color temperature condition. To sum up, color condition didn't contribute to the attention much, in the case of color temperature, when it is 6,000k, it is judged that it helped to improve attention. It is considered that relaxation contributed to improving attention, as ${\beta}$ wave and sympathetic nerve decreased in 6,000k (p < 0.05). It is judged that the relaxation of tensions which happened due to a beta wave and the reduction of sympathetic nervous system activity in 6,000k, a condition of high color temperature, contributed to the improvement of concentration. In further researches, it is intended that a test will be conducted for the subjects of different ages, and the correlation between color temperature and color stimulation and the influence of them on human body would be observed in subdivided, various test conditions through various color temperature and color stimulation.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.55-67
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• 2021

Objectives This review aimed to investigate studies of Chuna manual therapy (CMT) for low back pain and the evidence of their effects in order to suggest a better research method in the future. Methods We investigated studies on CMT for low back pain by searching Korean web databases from 2020 to 2021. As a result, 72 research papers were analyzed according to their published year, the titles of journals, the types of studies, the techniques of Chuna, and the instruments used for assessment. Results The results were as follows: 1. There were three papers published initially in 2000. this number showed a steady increase, and a total of 72 papers were published that year. 2. Studies on CMT were mainly published in the Journal of Korea Chuna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves. 3. When categorized according to the methods of studies, a simple case report was used more often than the sum of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs. 4. The most frequently adopted technique of Chuna in the examined studies was the COX flexion and distraction technique. 5. The Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index were used as primary means of assessment. Conclusions Based on the analysis, it was observed that this review provided limited evidence of CMT use in patients with LBP. Therefore, further investigation using well-designed RCTs is required to obtain higher evidence.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.15-26
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• 2020

Many companies are increasing the use of characters to enhance brand image and brand value. The use of characters in the certain industry is active, however, the research on characters in academia is insufficient. The purpose of this study is to investigate how characteristics of characters affect on consumer's brand attitude and to suggest the guideline companies to concern on brand characters, in especial on designing or licensing them. The results showed that all characteristics of character positively influenced on brand attitude. Among nine characteristics of the character, trust was the most impact and nostalgia was the least impact on brand attitude, respectively. Perceived quality was mediated on in relations between the brand character and brand attitude. In indirect effect, familiarity was the most impact on brand attitude. In sum, we suggested that trust and familiarity of the character are the most weighted characteristics on brand character design strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.215-223
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• 2021

Purpose: Distal radius fractures in youth are treated conservatively in most cases, but there are some cases of redisplacement in the follow-up period after cast immobilization, even after complete reduction. This study examined the risk factors of redisplacement in reduced unstable distal radius fractures. Materials and Methods: From February 2011 to June 2018, 44 unstable distal radius fractures were managed with a closed reduction and cast immobilization. The patients were aged between 6 and 14 years. The cases of redisplacement were analyzed with the fracture characteristics (fracture obliquity, fracture level ratio, ulnar fracture combined), cast qualities (gap index, cast index, 3 point index, and radius-2nd metacarpal angle) and host factors (age, sex). Results: The mean angulation in the union was 9.2° (0°-32.8°). In the categorical grouping 29 cases were within 10° angulation, and 15 cases were more than 10°. No significant differences in the factors of the cast indices or host factors were noted. The meaningful factor was the fracture level calculated by the relative width of the fracture site divided by the sum of width of diaphysis and epiphysis (p=0.001) and combined ulnar fracture (p=0.019). Conclusion: Unstable distal radius fractures should be treated with more stubborn guidelines lest the fracture loses its anatomical alignment. In particular, in patients with less remodeling power, operative treatment would secure a better result if the fracture occurs in a more proximal location.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.655-665
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• 2022

This study evaluated the validity of a newly developed mobility protocol examining the comfort functions and requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 healthcare workers. Eight males (age: 24.7 ± 3.0 y, height: 173.4 ± 2.3 cm, and body weight 69.9 ± 3.7 kg) participated in the following three PPE conditions: (1) Plastic gown ensemble, (2) Level D ensemble, and (3) Powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) ensemble. The mobility protocol consisted of 10 different tasks in addition to donning and doffing. The 10 tasks were repeated twice at an air temperature of 25oC with 74% RH. The results showed significant differences among the three PPE conditions in mean skin temperature, local skin temperatures (the forehead, thigh, calf, and foot), clothing microclimate (the chest and back), thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and humidity sensation, while there were no significant differences in heart rate or total sweat rate. At rest, the subjects felt less warm and more comfortable in the PAPR than in the Level D condition (P<0.05). However, subjective perceptions in the PAPR and Level D conditions became similar as the tasks progressed and mean skin and leg temperature became greater for the PAPR than the Level D condition (P<0.05). An interview was conducted just after completing the mobility test protocol, and suggestions for improving each PPE item were obtained. To sum up, the mobility test protocol was valid for evaluating the comfort functions of PPE for healthcare workers and obtaining requirements for improving the mobility of each PPE item.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6A
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• pp.977-988
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• 2006

The goal of this study is to develop a realistic methodology for determination of the Life-Cycle Cost (LCC)-effective optimal seismic retrofit and maintenance strategy of deteriorating bridges. The proposed methodology is based on the concept of minimum LCC which is expressed as the sum of present value of seismic retrofit costs, expected maintenance costs, and expected economic losses with the constraints such as design requirements and acceptable risk of death. The proposed methodology is applied to the LCC-effective optimal seismic retrofit and maintenance strategy of a steel bridge considered as a example bridge in the accompanying study, and various conditions such as corrosion environments and Average Daily Traffic Volumes (ADTVs) are considered to investigate the effects on total expected LCC. In addition, to verify the validity of the developed methodology, the results are compared with the existing methodology. From the numerical investigation, it may be positively expected that the proposed methodology can be effectively utilized as a practical tool for the decision-making of LCC-effective optimal seismic retrofit and maintenance strategy of deteriorating bridges.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.199-208
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• 2023

Taguchi method is one of the most popular approaches for design optimization such that performance characteristics become robust to uncontrollable noise variables. However, most previous Taguchi method applications have addressed a single-characteristic problem. Problems with multiple characteristics are more common in practice. The multi-criteria decision making(MCDM) problem is to select the optimal one among multiple alternatives by integrating a number of criteria that may conflict with each other. Representative MCDM methods include TOPSIS(Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), GRA(Grey Relational Analysis), PCA(Principal Component Analysis), fuzzy logic system, and so on. Therefore, numerous approaches have been conducted to deal with the multi-characteristic design problem by combining original Taguchi method and MCDM methods. In the MCDM problem, multiple criteria generally have different measurement units, which means that there may be a large difference in the physical value of the criteria and ultimately makes it difficult to integrate the measurements for the criteria. Therefore, the normalization technique is usually utilized to convert different units of criteria into one identical unit. There are four normalization techniques commonly used in MCDM problems, including vector normalization, linear scale transformation(max-min, max, or sum). However, the normalization techniques have several shortcomings and do not adequately incorporate the practical matters. For example, if certain alternative has maximum value of data for certain criterion, this alternative is considered as the solution in original process. However, if the maximum value of data does not satisfy the required degree of fulfillment of designer or customer, the alternative may not be considered as the solution. To solve this problem, this paper employs the desirability function that has been proposed in our previous research. The desirability function uses upper limit and lower limit in normalization process. The threshold points for establishing upper or lower limits let us know what degree of fulfillment of designer or customer is. This paper proposes a new design optimization technique for multi-characteristic design problem by integrating the Taguchi method and our desirability functions. Finally, the proposed technique is able to obtain the optimal solution that is robust to multi-characteristic performances.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1115-1122
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• 2023

This study aimed to present reasonable reception bandwidth application standards for the purpose of suppressing metal objects during MRI examinations. For this purpose, T2 contrast images were acquired using high-speed spin echo technology on a phantom made of screws for spinal surgery, and metal objects were detected. In addition, images were obtained by increasing the reception bandwidth from 100 Hz/PX to 800 Hz/PX by 100 Hz/PX. The metal artifacts were determined as the sum of the areas of the signal attenuation area and the signal accumulation area. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the pattern of metal artifacts according to imaging variables. As a result, the signal accumulation area did not change significantly as the reception bandwidth increased (p>0.05), but the signal loss area and the area of metal artifacts decreased as the reception bandwidth increased (p<0.05). Interestingly, the area of metal objects decreased to a maximum in the section where the reception bandwidth was increased from 100 Hz/PX to 200 Hz/PX, consistent with the section where the echo spacing was reduced to a maximum due to the increase in reception bandwidth. In addition, the correlation analysis results also showed that the eco spacing was more related to the signal attenuation area and the area of metal objects than to the reception bandwidth. Therefore, if the reception bandwidth is increased for the purpose of reducing metal objects, it is reasonable to set it based on a value that minimizes the echo spacing in consideration of image quality factors.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.389-401
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• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to determine a factor for predicting suboptimal image quality of the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI in patients with extrahepatic bile duct (EHD) cancer before MRI examination. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 259 patients (mean age ± standard deviation: 68.0 ± 8.3 years; 162 male and 97 female) with EHD cancer who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI between 2011 and 2017. Patients were divided into a primary analysis set (n = 184) and a validation set (n = 75) based on the diagnosis date of January 2014. Two reviewers assigned the functional liver imaging score (FLIS) to reflect the HBP image quality. The FLIS consists of the sum of three HBP features, each scored on a 0-2 scale: liver parenchymal enhancement, biliary excretion, and signal intensity of the portal vein. Patients were classified into low-FLIS (0-3) or high-FLIS (4-6) groups. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine a predictor of low FLIS using serum biochemical and imaging parameters of cholestasis severity. The optimal cutoff value for predicting low FLIS was obtained using receiver operating characteristic analysis, and validation was performed. Results: Of the 259 patients, 140 (54.0%) and 119 (46.0%) were classified into the low-FLIS and high-FLIS groups, respectively. In the primary analysis set, total bilirubin was an independent factor associated with low FLIS (adjusted odds ratio per 1-mg/dL increase, 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-1.98). The optimal cutoff value of total bilirubin for predicting low FLIS was 2.1 mg/dL with a sensitivity of 95.1% (95% CI: 88.9-98.4) and a specificity of 89.0% (95% CI: 80.2-94.9). In the validation set, the total bilirubin cutoff showed a sensitivity of 92.1% (95% CI: 78.6-98.3) and a specificity of 83.8% (95% CI: 68.0-93.8). Conclusion: Serum total bilirubin before acquisition of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI may help predict suboptimal HBP image quality in patients with EHD cancer.