• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2022

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychological well-being (PWB) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in workers of a multinational company. Methods: Employees (aged ≥18 years) were recruited from Latin American, North American, New Zealand, and European sites of a multinational company operative during all the pandemic period. The self-reported Psychological General Well-Being Index was used to assess the global PWB and the effects on six subdomains: anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health, and vitality. The influencing role of age, gender, geographical location, COVID-19 epidemiology, and restrictive measures adopted to control the pandemic was explored. Results: A total of 1335 workers completed the survey. The aggregate median PWB global score was in a positive range, with significantly better outcomes detected in the Mexican and Colombian Latin American sites compared with the other worldwide countries (p < 0.001). Among the European locations, a significantly higher PWB score was determined in Spain compared with the German and French sites (p < 0.05). Comparable geographical trends were demonstrated for all the PWB subdomains. Male workers had a significantly better PWB compared with females (p < 0.05), whereas a negative correlation emerged with aging (p = 0.01). COVID-19 epidemiology and pandemic control measures had no clear effects on PWB. Conclusion: Monitoring PWB and the impact of individual and pandemic-related variables may be helpful to clarify the mental health effects of pandemic, define targeted psychological-supporting measures, also in the workplace, to face such a complex situation in a more constructive way.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.91-108
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• 2022

Keen attention has been directed at "smart tourism cities" due to its role of solving urban problems arising from modern tourism development. However, some local governments are making huge investments in developing uniform tourism apps without specific directions or guidelines for the transformation of smart tourism cities. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a standardized and objective smart tourism competitiveness index and evaluate the competitiveness rankings of various cities around the world. The index comprises the five subindices of attractiveness, accessibility, digitalization readiness, sustainability, and co-partnership. The analysis results have shown that Singapore is the most competitive smart tourism city, followed by Amsterdam, New York City, Seoul and Barcelona, with Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok being relegated to the bottom of competitiveness rankings. We expect that this index can be employed as a global standard for continuously and systematically monitoring smart tourism city-related projects in the future.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.271-280
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• 2022

Landfast sea ice forms near coastlines in polar regions. Continuous monitoring of this sea ice is important, as it plays a key role in the marine ecosystem and affects the operation of nearby research stations. This study detected landfast sea ice around Jang Bogo research station in East Antarctica by stacking interferometric coherence images of Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data with 6-, 12- and 18-day temporal baselines. A total of 50 landfast sea ice maps were generated covering July 2017 to June 2018. The time series revealed regional differences in the timing of the maximum extent as well as growth rate of landfast sea ice. Overall, detecting landfast sea ice using interferometric SAR coherence seems promisingly feasible; however, limitations remain owing to low backscattering coefficients from new and smooth sea ice surfaces and subtle movements of sea ice in contact with the Campbell Glacier Tongue.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.20-25
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• 2021

[Purpose] The aim of this review was to discuss the effects of vitamin D on physical performance and musculoskeletal injuries in athletes and provide information on the field applications of vitamin D. [Methods] A systematic review was conducted to identify studies on vitamin D in athletes that assessed serum vitamin D levels, vitamin D and physical performance, vitamin D and musculoskeletal injuries, and practical guidelines for supplementation of vitamin D. [Results] Several studies reported that a high proportion of athletes had vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. Low serum levels of vitamin D in athletes were more pronounced in winter than in other seasons, and indoor athletes had lower serum vitamin D levels than outdoor athletes. Low vitamin D levels have been demonstrated to have negative effects on muscle strength, power, and endurance; increase stress fractures and other musculoskeletal injuries; and affect acute muscle injuries and inflammation following high-intensity exercises. Therefore, periodic assessment and monitoring of vitamin D levels are necessary in athletes; the recommended serum level of 25(OH)D is > 32 ng/mL and the preferred level is > 40 ng/mL (-1). In those with low levels of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight and an improved diet or supplements may be helpful. Particularly, 2000-6000 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 can be consumed daily. [Conclusion] Vitamin D is a potential nutritional factor that can significantly affect physical performance and musculoskeletal injuries in athletes. The importance and role of vitamin D in athletes should be emphasized, and the current levels of vitamin D should be assessed. Therefore, it is essential to periodically evaluate and monitor serum vitamin D levels in athletes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.237-250
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• 2022

Structural health monitoring (SHM) plays an important role in ensuring the safety and functionality of critical civil infrastructure. In recent years, numerous researchers have conducted studies to develop computer vision and machine learning techniques for SHM purposes, offering the potential to reduce the laborious nature and improve the effectiveness of field inspections. However, high-quality vision data from various types of damaged structures is relatively difficult to obtain, because of the rare occurrence of damaged structures. The lack of data is particularly acute for fatigue crack in steel bridge girder. As a result, the lack of data for training purposes is one of the main issues that hinders wider application of these powerful techniques for SHM. To address this problem, the use of synthetic data is proposed in this article to augment real-world datasets used for training neural networks that can identify fatigue cracks in steel structures. First, random textures representing the surface of steel structures with fatigue cracks are created and mapped onto a 3D graphics model. Subsequently, this model is used to generate synthetic images for various lighting conditions and camera angles. A fully convolutional network is then trained for two cases: (1) using only real-word data, and (2) using both synthetic and real-word data. By employing synthetic data augmentation in the training process, the crack identification performance of the neural network for the test dataset is seen to improve from 35% to 40% and 49% to 62% for intersection over union (IoU) and precision, respectively, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed approach.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.183-188
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• 2022

Recently, more and more researches aimed at the development of automated and autonomous ships are appearing in the scientific environment. One of the main reason is the need to solve the problems of safe navigation and reducing accidents due to human factor, as well as the ever-increasing problem associated with the lack of qualified maritime personnel. Development of technologies based on application of artificial intelligence also plays important role, after all for realization of autonomous navigation concept and enhancement of ship automatic maneuvering processes, advancement of maneuvering functions and elaboration of specific algorithms on prevention of close quarter situations and dangerous approach of ships will be required. The purpose of this work is the review of preconditions of occurrence of the autonomous ship navigation conception, overview of introduction stages and prospects for ship remote control based on unmanned technologies, analysis of technical and intellectual decisions of autonomous surface ships, main research tendencies. The research revealed that the technology of autonomous ship navigation requires further development and improvement, especially in terms of the data transmission protocols upgrading, sensors of navigation information and automatic control systems modernization, which allows to perform monitoring of equipment with the aim of improving the functions of control over the autonomous surface ship operation.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.324-330
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• 2022

The United Kingdom is known for the quality of its qualifications. There is a strict quality system with reputable bodies responsible for ensuring that high quality standards are met. In order for new qualifications to be accredited, they must meet all the requirements set out in the regulations for the quality and informatization of Education. The crucial role of the Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education (QAA) in the UK for creating high-quality management of higher education institutions is revealed, the influence of informatization tools on its effective mechanism as an independent entity is shown, and positive experience for the educational sector is highlighted. While the universities themselves are responsible for reviewing educational programs at the subject level, the QAA review focuses on verifying internal quality assurance, as well as systems and improvement strategies. The QAA uses a peer review process in which teams mostly consist of academic staff from other institutions to assess the quality of the institution's education. In Scotland, the team also includes an international reviewer. The student is also a member of the Scottish teams. In the UK, attention is paid to providing a cohort of experienced reviewers who can conduct high-quality monitoring and help with advice on improving education. All reviewers must complete training and have permission to participate in the review of educational programs. There are selected committees that are members of the QAA council, each of which is headed by a member of the Council or an independent person approved by the Council. Attention is drawn to the main areas of the QAA's work in the framework of environmental, social and corporate governance.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.284-292
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• 2022

Hydrogen is promising a candidate for energy supporting the carbon neutrality policy for greenhouse gas reduction, which is being promoted in several countries, including Korea. Although challenging efforts-such as lowering the costs of green hydrogen production and fuel cells-remain, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are expected to play a significant role in the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In line with this objective, the hydrogen FCEV working group in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) compiled and revised international standards related to hydrogen refueling stations as of 2019. A well-established hydrogen quality management system based on the standard documents will increase the reliability of hydrogen charging stations and accelerate the use of FCEVs. In this study, among the published ISO standards and other references, the main requirements for managing charging stations and developing related techniques were summarized and explained. To respond preemptively to the growing FCEV market, a continuous hydrogen quality monitoring method suitable for use at hydrogen charging stations was proposed.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.396-405
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• 2022

Purpose: This study evaluated the predictive role of fecal calprotectin (FC) measured at an early stage of treatment for monitoring clinical remission (CR) after six months and endoscopic remission (ER) after one year of treatment in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Methods: This retrospective study included 45 patients who simultaneously underwent ileocolonoscopy and FC testing during follow-up. FC levels were measured before and after six weeks of treatment. CR was assessed after six months of treatment using Pediatric Crohn' s Disease Activity Index and acute-phase reactants. ER was assessed after one year using the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease. Results: Twenty-nine (64.4%) patients used oral prednisolone for remission induction and 16 (35.6%) patients used anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Thirty (66.7%) patients achieved CR, while 24 (53.3%) achieved ER. The FC level measured after six weeks of treatment could predict CR (χ²=9.15, p=0.0025) and ER (χ²=12.31, p=0.0004). The δFC could predict CR (χ²=7.91, p=0.0049), but not ER (χ²=1.85, p=0.1738). With a threshold of ≤950.4 ㎍/g, FC at week six could predict CR with 76.7% sensitivity and 73.3% specificity. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.769 (standard error 0.0773, p=0.0005). The same threshold predicted ER with 87.5% sensitivity and 71.4% specificity. The AUC was 0.774 (standard error 0.074, p=0.0002). Conclusion: FC assay at an early stage of treatment can be used as a surrogate marker to predict CR and mucosal healing in pediatric CD.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.214-218
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the PMF in the treatment of acidosis and inflammation by monitoring the pH change for the continuity of PMF effect on the blood in the micro-circulation system that mimics the capillaries in the human body. Micro-tubes and micro-channels similar in diameter to those of arteries and arterioles were fabricated using PDMS and connected to a micro-pump for blood circulation. The continuity of PMF effect was verified in a micro-circulation system in-vitro. The pH changes for the circulating blood and for persistence time of PMF stimulus effect were confirmed using the optimized PMF conditions based on the previous studies. Also pH changes were observed by continuously stimulating PMF for a set period of time. The result was observed that the pH of the blood acidified using tBHP continued to rise from immediately after stimulation of PMF to 70 minutes of stimulation, reaching a normal pH range, and then decreasing. Our study showed that PMF has a positive effect on the control of blood pH homeostasis, so it is suggested the possibility of being used as a noninvasive treatment for acidosis treatment and anti- inflammatory treatment.