• Title/Summary/Keyword: Objective Knowledge

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Integrating market chain assessments with zoonoses risk analysis in two cross-border pig value chains in Lao PDR

  • Okello, Anna L;Tiemann, Tassilo T;Inthavong, Phouth;Khamlome, Boualam;Phengvilaysouk, Ammaly;Keonouchanh, Soukanh;Keokhamphet, Chattouphone;Somoulay, Virasack;Blaszak, Kate;Blacksell, Stuart D;Okello, Walter O;Allen, John
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.30 no.11
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    • pp.1651-1659
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    • 2017
  • Objective: Lao PDR's recent accession to the World Trade Organization necessitates a greater understanding of the patterns and risk of livestock production in order to better align national policy with the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. This eco-health study was conducted to improve understanding of the interrelations between market chains and zoonotic infection risks at two strategic cross border points between Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. Methods: Information gained from smallholder farmer/trader interviews was integrated with serological surveys for pig-associated zoonoses-including hepatitis E virus (HEV), Taenia solium (T. solium) and trichinella-to identify potential linkages between disease risk and pig production and slaughter in low input systems common across the country. Results: Trichinella and HEV exposure was high in both humans and pigs in both study areas, significantly associated with pig slaughter and the subsequent consumption and handling of raw pork products. T. solium demonstrated a strong geographical and ethnic association with the northern study area bordering Vietnam. With the right knowledge and accessible, affordable inputs, the majority of smallholder farmers indicated a willingness to invest more in pig production, which could simultaneously improve livelihoods and decrease exposure to HEV, Trichinella, and T. solium through increased access to formal markets and an improved slaughter processes. Conclusion: The linkages identified when assessing disease risk in the context of potential economic and cultural drivers of transmission highlight the importance of a systems-based approach for the detection and control of zoonotic disease, and contributes to an improved understanding of the Lao PDR livestock sector.

Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being of Breast Cancer Survivors in Jordan

  • Abu-Helalah, Munir;Al-Hanaqta, Motasem;Alshraideh, Hussam;Abdulbaqi, Nada;Hijazeen, Jameel
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.14
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    • pp.5927-5936
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    • 2014
  • Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Jordanians. Breast cancer patients suffer from several negative consequences after treatment and these include pain, fatigue, sexual problems, appearance and body image concerns, with psychological dysfunction. This could affect the patient quality of life and psychological well-being. To the best of our knowledge, there is no published quantitative data on the quality of life and psychological well-being of breast cancer patients in Jordan. The objective of this study was to obtain such data and assess predictors with calculated scores. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted among breast cancer patients in Jordan diagnosed in 2009 and 2010, assessment was performed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Breast Module (QLQ-BR23) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Clinical, demographic and psychosocial indicators that could predict patient quality of life scores were collected. Results: The number of patients interviewed was 236 (mean age=$50.7{\pm}10.7$ years). The mean Global Health score for the QLQ-C30 was $63.7{\pm}20.2$ SD. Among functional scales, "social functioning" scored the highest ($mean=78.1{\pm}28.6$ SD), whereas "emotional functioning" scored the lowest ($mean=59.0{\pm}SD\;33.5$). For the QLQ-BR23, the worst scores within the functional scales were for "body image" ($mean=52.1{\pm}36.8$ SD) and "future perspective" ($mean=52.9{\pm}38.5$ SD). The worst symptom was "upset by hair loss" ($mean=69.8{\pm}43.0$). The mean HADS scores was $18.{\pm}9.0$ SD. Out of study participants, 53% scored abnormal on the anxiety scale and 45% on the depression scale. Severe depression and severe anxiety were detected among 8% and 14% of study participants, respectively. Statistically significant predictors for individual scores were similar to those reported in published studies, such as the presence of recurrence since baseline, family history of cancer, low educational status, current social problems, extent of the disease, presence of financial difficulties, and employment status. Conclusions and Recommendations: Breast cancer survivors in Jordan have overall good quality of life scores when compared with patients from Western countries. However, their psychological wellbeing is more impaired. There is an urgent need for psychosocial support programs and psychological screening and consultation for breast cancer patients at hospitals of the Ministry of Health in Jordan.

The Concept Analysis of Self-Control (자기통제의 개념 분석)

  • Eun, Young;Lee, In-Sook;Lee, Keung-Sook;Song, Keung-Ja;Choi, Eun-Ok;Shu, Soon-Rim;Yang, Young-Hee;Park, Young-Im;Gu, Mee-Ok;Kim, Sung-Jae;Kim, In-Ja;Lee, Eun-Nam;Park, Song-Ja;Lee, Dong-Suk;Lee, Eun-Ok
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.951-962
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    • 1999
  • Today human needs for health promotion and maintenance are increasing. The nursing profession as a great responsibility to develop the knowledge for helping clients to practice good health behavior under self-control. But there are few studies about the concept of self-control, or the operational definition of self-control. The purpose of this study was to analyze and clarify the meaning of the concept of self-control. This study used Walker and Avant's process of concept analysis. Antecedents of self control consist of 1) perception of the conflict situation to change his or her behavior ; 2) perception of self as the causes of the barrier for a certain behavior ; 3) internal standard or belief such as self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness ; 4) internal motivation for change of behavior. Critical attributes of self-control were 1) goal-orientation ; 2) self-decision ; 3) time sequence ; 4) effort ; 5) possibility of being learned ; 6) individuality ; 7) social desirability. Consequences occurring as a results of self-control consist of 1) achievement of the controlled behavior whose purposes were planned ; 2) enhancement of the internal standard such as self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness ; 3) eventual elevation of physical and emotional wellness. Therefore, this concept is defined as a cognitive behavior which is attempted by his or her decision when one is confronted with the conflict situation, which is characterized by being changed by time, learned by effort and individual characteristics. One is taking such behavior with the perception of self as the causative barrier for a certain behavior, planning a specific objective for a certain behavior which demands self sacrifice, supplies the internal reward, is socially desirable with the internal standard of self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness and environmental factors.

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An Experimental Study on Physiological and Psychological Effects of Pine Scent (소나무 향기의 생리 심리적 효과에 관한 실험적 연구)

  • Jo, Hyun-Ju;Fujii, Eijiro;Cho, Tae-Dong
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.38 no.4
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2010
  • The scientific verification of the physiological and psychological effects that result from interaction with green plants would not only provide objective knowledge on the psychological effect of green but would also establish useful grounds for the creation of green spaces that consider human emotions. The present study measured the cerebral activity(cerebral blood flow) and the autonomic nervous system activity (blood pressure, pulse rate, amylase) of fifteen Korean male subjects as they inhaled the natural scent diffused by pine needles. Impression and mood state evaluations of the reactions to the pine scent were carried out using the SD method and POMS. Cerebral activity was observed to be significantly activated in the feeling, judgment, and motor areas of the frontal lobe, as well as the memory area in the temporal lobe. Verbal evaluations by the SD method and POMS indicated a pine scent left natural but stimulated and active impressions, provided vigor, and also reduced confusion. The autonomic nervous system activities, however, showed no significant differences. These findings verified scientifically that a pine scent vitalizes humans both physiologically and psychologically. These results could be useful as fundamental data for the design of green spaces that consider human emotional aspects.

An SAO-based Text Mining Approach for Technology Roadmapping Using Patent Information (기술로드맵핑을 위한 특허정보의 SAO기반 텍스트 마이닝 접근 방법)

  • Choi, Sung-Chul;Kim, Hong-Bin;Yoon, Jang-Hyeok
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.199-234
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    • 2012
  • Technology roadmaps (TRMs) are considered to be the essential tool for strategic technology planning and management. Recently, rapidly evolving technological trends and severe technological competition are making TRM more important than ever before. That is because TRM plays a role of "map" that align organizational objectives with their relevant technologies. However, constructing and managing TRMs are costly and time-consuming because they rely on the qualitative and intuitive knowledge of human experts. Therefore, enhancing the productivity of developing TRMs is one of the major concerns in technology planning. In this regard, this paper proposes a technology roadmapping approach based on function of which concept includes objectives, structures and effects of a technology and which are represented as Subject-Action-Object structures extractable by exploiting natural language processing of patent text. We expect that the proposed method will broaden experts' technological horizons in the technology planning process and will help to construct TRMs efficiently with the reduced time and costs.

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A Study on the Automatic Detection of Railroad Power Lines Using LiDAR Data and RANSAC Algorithm (LiDAR 데이터와 RANSAC 알고리즘을 이용한 철도 전력선 자동탐지에 관한 연구)

  • Jeon, Wang Gyu;Choi, Byoung Gil
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.331-339
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    • 2013
  • LiDAR has been one of the widely used and important technologies for 3D modeling of ground surface and objects because of its ability to provide dense and accurate range measurement. The objective of this research is to develop a method for automatic detection and modeling of railroad power lines using high density LiDAR data and RANSAC algorithms. For detecting railroad power lines, multi-echoes properties of laser data and shape knowledge of railroad power lines were employed. Cuboid analysis for detecting seed line segments, tracking lines, connecting and labeling are the main processes. For modeling railroad power lines, iterative RANSAC and least square adjustment were carried out to estimate the lines parameters. The validation of the result is very challenging due to the difficulties in determining the actual references on the ground surface. Standard deviations of 8cm and 5cm for x-y and z coordinates, respectively are satisfactory outcomes. In case of completeness, the result of visual inspection shows that all the lines are detected and modeled well as compare with the original point clouds. The overall processes are fully automated and the methods manage any state of railroad wires efficiently.

A Study on Development of Common Criteria for Evaluation of Internet Ethics Index (인터넷윤리 지수의 평가를 위한 공통 기준 개발에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Young-Han;Kim, Jeong-Dong;Park, Jeong-Ho
    • Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.75-85
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    • 2016
  • Changes in the distribution and sharing information using the Internet is changing the most part in our daily life, Utilizing the Internet of our lives to the rapid development of IT technology, are living in the off-line (off-line) and online (on-line) a mix of life, We expect now online life specific gravity is further increased. However, do not systematically implement the education of Internet ethics awareness deficiencies of objective indicators to assess the current knowledge level of the Internet ethics is the actual situation. Therefore, in this paper, it provides a development process in order to establish a common standard for the evaluation of Internet ethics index. Development procedure of Internet ethics index in order to establish a common standard, "evaluation item (draft) derivation", "Creating a questionnaire", "the calculation of the analysis and item-by-item weight of the questionnaire", and a common reference determination of the stage having. Was also a questionnaire that target 46 people to calculate the weight of the common reference. Internet ethics index evaluation model through the establishment of the common standards developed in this paper, municipal road Office of Education, related organizations, high school, such as small, medium, can be utilized as an indicator to measure the Internet ethics education level.

A Review of Assessment Tools in Traditional Medicine on the High Frequent Skin Diseases (다빈도 피부질환에 대한 국내외 한의학 논문에서 평가도구 사용현황에 대한 고찰)

  • Park, So-Young;Kang, Min-Seo;Kim, Min-Hee;Kwak, Jae-Young;Choi, In-Hwa
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.31-41
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    • 2018
  • Objectives : The purpose of this study is to establish the basis of the assessment tools that can be used for the diagnosis and assessment of skin diseases by reviewing the present status of the assessment tools used in domestic and overseas traditional medicine papers for the past five years. Methods : This study is based on analysis of papers on clinical trials about atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, urticaria published from 1st July 2013 to 30th June 2018. The papers were searched from Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System(OASIS), Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal(KTKP), Pubmed, MEDLINE. Results : 40 articles on atopic dermatitis, 34 articles on psoriasis, 26 articles on acne and 10 articles on urticaria were selected. Among them, 38 articles(90%), 20 articles(85%), 22 articles(85%) and 5 articles(50%) used assessment tools in order. Conclusions : SCoring Atopic Dermatitis(SCORAD), objective SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis index(OSI), Eczema Area and Severity Index(EASI) were used in studies on atopic dermatitis. In the case of psoriasis, The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index(PASI) was used in most papers. In the study on acne, most of Korean papers used Korean Acne Grading System(KAGS), but in the overseas papers, various assessment tools were used. In the case of urticaria, the rate of use of the assessment tool was the lowest, but the assessment tool used was unified by Urticaria Activity Score(UAS). Since skin diseases can cause stress and a decrease in quality of life, the quality of life should be taken into account when evaluating treatment effects.

Concept and Policy Developments on Eco-welfare of National Parks based on Ecosystem Service (생태계서비스 기반 국립공원 생태복지 개념정립 및 정책방향 설정)

  • Park, Eun-ha;Choi, Su-Jung;Oh, Hyeon-Choong;Jung, Boo Hee;Lee, Na-yeon
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.261-270
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    • 2016
  • The concept of Eco-welfare emerged in the process of discovering the relationship between a healthy ecosystem and human wellbeing. The objective of this study is to offer basic data for eco-welfare policy realization by conceptualizing the 'National Park Eco-welfare' since national parks are appropriate places for eco-welfare to be optimally implemented. A pre-workshop and two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted to determine the concept of the 'National Park Eco-welfare ' and the main elements to be included in ecosystem service. Through this study, the concept of 'National Park Eco-welfare' was defined as efforts to conserve the biodiversity and sustainability of the ecosystem and create harmony between 'National Park Ecosystem Welfare' and 'National Park Human Welfare'. To establish the direction of the National Park Eco-welfare policy, we identified the main elements of ecosystem services which are appropriate for the National Park. These are comprised of 3 elements (food, fresh water and genetic resources) from supply service, all elements from regulating service and supporting/habitat service and 4 elements (aesthetic information, recreation-based ecotourism, healing, and knowledge systems with educational values) from culture service. In this study, the concept of National Park Eco-welfare was established, and its policy objectives and scope were suggested. However, further studies are necessary to develop action plans areand thereby realize the policy.

Optimum Population Projection in Korea: An Environmental Perspective (환경 측면에서 한국의 적정인구 추계)

  • Jeong, Dae-Yuon
    • Korea journal of population studies
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.269-292
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    • 2006
  • The current environmental problem is global, and threatens the very existence of human beings. Many factors have been argued as the causes of environmental problem. The examples include anthroponcentric human perspective on nature, increase in the knowledge on nature, development of technology, economic growth and unequal distribution, and population increase, etc. The scholars who argues population increase have focused on over-population. However, the estimation of optimum population size has not been attempted in terms of environmental carrying capacity. In such a context, this paper aims at estimating optimum population size in South Korea in terms of environmental carrying capacity. The estimation was done from two approaches. One was based on the state of environment, the other was based on 'the desirable state of environment' Koreans expect. The former is termed an objective approach, while the latter is termed an approach based on social consensus. About 47.5 millions were estimated from the former approach, and 48.5 millions from the latter approach. However, optimum population size increase by 50.5 millions if government increase environmental budget to 2.00% among total budget. As such, different optimum population size is estimated according to the values of variables. The most significant variable determining optimum population size is environmental budget, and followed by supply of clean energy. The estimated optimum population size was based on the time-series data from 1993 to 2002. Therefore, time-series data collected from other years will result in different estimation model, and then different optimum population size will be estimated.