• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.394-407
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• 2011

Better understanding of the complex factors leading to human diseases will be necessary for both long term prevention and for managing short and long-term health problems. The underlying causes, leading to a global health crisis in both acute and chronic diseases, include finite global health care resources for sustained healthy human survival, the population explosion, increased environmental pollution, decreased clean air, water, food distribution, diminishing opportunities for human self-esteem, increased median life span, and the interconnection of infectious and chronic diseases. The transition of our pre-human nutritional requirements for survival to our current culturally-shaped diet has created a biologically-mismatched human dietary experience. While individual genetic, gender, and developmental stage factors contribute to human diseases, various environmental and culturally-determined factors are now contributing to both acute and chronic diseases. The transition from the hunter-gatherer to an agricultural-dependent human being has brought about a global crisis in human health. Initially, early humans ate seasonally-dependent and calorically-restricted foods, during the day, in a "feast or famine" manner. Today, modern humans eat diets of caloric abundance, at all times of the day, with foods of all seasons and from all parts of the world, that have been processed and which have been contaminated by all kinds of factors. No longer can one view, as distinct, infectious agent-related human acute diseases from chronic diseases. Moreover, while dietary and environmental chemicals could, in principle, cause disease pathogenesis by mutagenic and cytotoxic mechanisms, the primary cause is via "epigenetic", or altered gene expression, modifications in the three types of cells (e.g., adult stem; progenitor and terminally-differentiated cells of each organ) during all stages of human development. Even more significantly, alteration in the quantity of adult stem cells during early development by epigenetic chemicals could either increase or decrease the risk to various stem cell-based diseases, such as cancer, later in life. A new concept, the Barker hypothesis, has emerged that indicates pre-natal maternal dietary exposures can now affect diseases later in life. Examples from the studies of the atomic bomb survivors should illustrate this insight.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.901-906
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• 2009

This paper proposes a call admission control(CAC) method for wireless networks, which is based on the upper bound of a possibility distribution of handoff calls dropping rates. The possibility distribution is estimated in a fuzzy inference and a learning algorithm in neural network. The learning algorithm is considered for tuning the membership functions(then parts)of fuzzy rules for the inference. The fuzzy inference method is based on a weighted average of fuzzy sets. The proposed method can avoid estimating excessively large handoff calls dropping rates, and makes possibile self-compensation in real time for the case where the estimated values are smaller than real values. So this method makes secure CAC, thereby guaranteeing the allowed CDR. From simulation studies we show that the estimation performance for the upper bound of call dropping rate is good, and then handoff call dropping rates in CAC are able to be sustained below user's desired value.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.346-350
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• 2009

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze in detail the relationship between outcome and time course of effect in medically refractory primary cervical dystonia (CD) with phasic type that was treated by bilateral globus pallidus internus (Gpi) deep brain stimulation (DBS). Methods : Six patients underwent bilateral implantation of DBS into the Gpi under the guide of microelectrode recording and were followed for $18.7{\pm}11.1$ months. The mean duration of the CD was $5.8{\pm}3.4$ years. The mean age at time of surgery was $54.2{\pm}10.2$ years. Patients were evaluated with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and relief scale using patient self-reporting. Results : The TWSTRS total scores improved by 64.5%, 65.5%, 75.8%, and 76.0% at 3, 6, 12 months, and at the last available follow-up after surgery, respectively. Statistically significant improvements in the TWSTRS scores were observed 3 months after surgery (p=0.028) with gradual improvement up to 12 months after surgery, thereafter, the improvement was sustained. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the scores at 3 and 12 months. Subjective improvement reported averaged $81.7{\pm}6.8%$ at last follow-up. Mild dysarthria, the most frequent adverse event, occurred in 3 patients. Conclusions : Our results show that the bilateral Gpi-DBS can offer a significant therapeutic effect from 3 months postoperatively in patients with primary CD with phasic type, without significant side effects.

• Journal of Information Display
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.149-157
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• 2009

Reported herein is the architecture for a nonvolatile n-type memory paper field-effect transistor. The device was built via the hybrid integration of natural cellulose fibers (pine and eucalyptus fibers embedded in resin with ionic additives), which act simultaneously as substrate and gate dielectric, using passive and active semiconductors, respectively, as well as amorphous indium zinc and gallium indium zinc oxides for the gate electrode and channel layer, respectively. This was complemented by the use of continuous patterned metal layers as source/drain electrodes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 2015

Objectives: Recently, low systolic blood pressure (SBP) was found to be associated with an increased risk of death from vascular diseases in a rural elderly population in Korea. However, evidence on the association between low SBP and vascular diseases is scarce. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the association between low SBP and mortality from all causes and vascular diseases in older middle-aged Korean men. Methods: From 2004 to 2010, 94 085 Korean Vietnam War veterans were followed-up for deaths. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard model. A stratified analysis was conducted by age at enrollment. SBP was self-reported by a postal survey in 2004. Results: Among the participants aged 60 and older, the lowest SBP (<90 mmHg) category had an elevated aHR for mortality from all causes (aHR, 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 3.1) and vascular diseases (International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, I00-I99; aHR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.2 to 8.4) compared to those with an SBP of 100 to 119 mmHg. Those with an SBP below 80 mmHg (aHR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 18.8) and those with an SBP of 80 to 89 mmHg (aHR, 3.1; 95% CI, 0.9 to 10.2) also had an increased risk of vascular mortality, compared to those with an SBP of 90 to 119 mmHg. This association was sustained when excluding the first two years of follow-up or preexisting vascular diseases. In men younger than 60 years, the association of low SBP was weaker than that in those aged 60 years or older. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that low SBP (<90 mmHg) may increase vascular mortality in Korean men aged 60 years or older.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 2017

This study reports a synthesis of an amphiphilic linear block copolymer consisting of a hydrophobic poly (lactide) (PLA) block and a hydrophilic hyperbranched polyglycerol (hbPG) block, PLA-b-hbPG. Simple chemical modification of the hbPG block with 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CA) led to a photo-crosslinkable block copolymer, PLA-b-hbPG-CA. Nanosized micelles of the block copolyemrs were used as drug carriers for sustainable release. The hbPG shell made of a small molecular weight hbPG block showed excellent hydrophilicity, which can minimize in vivo toxicity. The UV-crosslinked PLA-b-hbPG-CA micelles loaded with drugs colud be served as a drug delivery carrier for its biocompatibility and self-assembled structures.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2014

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common work-related peripheral neuropathy. In addition to grip force and repetitive hand exertions, wrist posture (hyperextension and hyperflexion) may be a risk factor for CTS among workers. However, findings of studies evaluating the relationship between wrist posture and CTS are inconsistent. The purpose of this paper was to conduct a meta-analysis of existing studies to evaluate the evidence of the relationship between wrist posture at work and risk of CTS. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to identify relevant studies published between 1980 and 2012. The following search terms were used: "work related", "carpal tunnel syndrome", "wrist posture", and "epidemiology". The studies defined wrist posture as the deviation of the wrist in extension or flexion from a neutral wrist posture. Relative risk (RR) of individual studies for postural risk was pooled to evaluate the overall risk of wrist posture on CTS. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. All were cross-sectional or case-control designs and relied on self-report or observer's estimates for wrist posture assessment. The pooled RR of work-related CTS increased with increasing hours of exposure to wrist deviation or extension/flexion [RR = 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.646-2.43; p < 0.01: Shore-adjusted 95% CI: 1.32-2.97]. Conclusion: We found evidence that prolonged exposure to non-neutral wrist postures is associated with a twofold increased risk for CTS compared with low hours of exposure to non-neutral wrist postures. Workplace interventions to prevent CTS should incorporate training and engineering interventions that reduce sustained non-neutral wrist postures.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2003

Plasma generator based on non-self-sustained low-pressure arc discharge has been examined as a tool for deposition of highly-adhesive hydrogenated amorphous diamond-like carbon(DLC) films. Since the discharge is stable in wide range of gas pressures and currents, this plasma source makes possible to realize both plasma-immersion ion implantation(PIII) and plasma-immersion ion deposition(PIID) in a unified vacuum cycle. The plasma parameters were measured as functions of discharge current. Discharge and substrate bias voltage parameters have been determined for the PIII and PIID modes. For PIID it has been demonstrated that hard and well-adherent DLC coating are produced at 200-500 eV energies per deposited carbon atom. The growth rates of DLC films in this case are about 200-300 nm/h. It was also shown that short(∼60$\mu\textrm{s}$) high-voltage(> 1kV) substrate bias pulses are the most favorable for achieving high hardness and good adhesion of DLC, as well as for reducing of residual intrinsic stress are.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.609-615
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• 2011

A 5 kW class SOFC system for cogeneration power units was consisted of a hot box part and cold BOPs. High temperature components such as a stack, a fuel reformer, a catalytic combustor, and heat exchanges are arranged in the bot box considering their operating temperatures for the system efficiency. The hot box was made of ceramic boards for the thermal insulation. A 5 kW class SOFC stack was composed of 2 sub-modules and each module had 64 cells with $15{\times}15cm^2$ area and stainless steel interconnects. The 5 kW class SOFC system was operated with a hydrogen and a city gas. With a hydrogen, the total power of the stacks was about 7.1 kWDC and electrical efficiency was about 49.3% at 80 A. With a city gas, the total power of the stacks was about 5.7 $kW_{DC}$ and electrical efficiency was about 38.8% at 60 A. Under self-sustained operating condition, the system efficiency including a power conditioning loss and a consumed power by BOPs was about 30.2%.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.94-105
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• 2017

A menu labeling initiative is a lawful regulation with an aim to promote public health by providing customers the right to make informed menu choices. As college years are a critical period in which students form dietary habits, which are sustained throughout their lives, provision of nutritional information at the university dining services is important to students' health and life. Due to the lack of research on menu labeling at university dining services, the purpose of this study was to examine college students' attitudes and motivations toward menu labeling at university dining services, as well as their use intentions toward nutrition information at university dining services. Data were collected from a self-administered survey distributed to 484 college students who had experienced university dining services. Motivations of university students toward menu labeling were categorized into 'knowledge pursuit' and 'health pursuit'. Students' attitudes toward menu labeling had a positive effect on their intention to use menu labeling at university dining services. The findings of the study indicated that female students, or those who frequently used nutrition information, tended to have higher attitudes, motivations, and use intentions toward nutrition information. The study results suggest that facilitation of healthy eating environments at university dining services by offering nutrition information, and nutrition and health education is necessary.