• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.339-345
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• 2021

Background: Some researchers state that they are not yet able to provide a deep understanding of the underlying causes of unsafe behaviors (UBs). Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the attitudes and experiences of Iranian workers of UBs. Methods: This present study was conducted in 35 industries using a semistructured interview based on grounded theory. Forty participants were interviewed, including 13 industrial safety and health experts and 27 workers and supervisors. The analysis of the present study consisted of a three-step coding process including open, axial, and selective coding. Results: The results showed that the factors affecting UBs could be classified into three categories: organizational, individual, and socioeconomic factors. Organizational factors were divided into 6 parts: procedure and environmental conditions, communications, monitoring, organizational safety culture, resource allocation, and human resources. Socioeconomic factors had three subcategories: community safety culture, type of organizational ownership, and economic problems. Finally, the individual factors were classified into two categories of personality traits and individual competence. Conclusion: The results showed that organizational factors were the most categorized, and it is estimated that this factor has a more important role in the UBs. Of course, to better understand the close relationship between these factors and find the weight and importance of each factor, it needs to measure it with multicriteria decision systems.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.53
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• pp.322.1-322.14
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• 2018

Background: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays protective roles against the development of vascular calcification (VC) which greatly contributes to the increased cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study aimed to find the non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors correlated to serum OPG and the effect of serum OPG on the arterial stiffness measured by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients with the pre-dialysis CKD. Methods: We cross-sectionally analyzed the data from the patients in whom baPWV and the serum OPG were measured at the time of enrollment in a prospective pre-dialysis CKD cohort study in Korea. Results: Along with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as age, diabetes mellitus, pulse pressure, and baPWV, non-traditional, kidney-related factors such as albuminuria, plasma level of hemoglobin, total $CO_2$ content, alkaline phosphatase, and corrected calcium were independent variables for serum OPG in multivariate linear regression. Reciprocally, the serum OPG was positively associated with baPWV in multivariate linear regression. The baPWV in the 3rd and 4th quartile groups of serum OPG were higher than that in the 1st quartile group after adjustments by age, sex and other significant factors for baPWV in linear mixed model. Conclusion: Non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors in addition to traditional cardiovascular risk factors were related to serum level of OPG in CKD. Serum OPG level was significantly related to baPWV. Our study suggests that kidney-related factors involved in CKD-specific pathways for VC play a role in the increased secretion of OPG into circulation in patients with CKD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 2011

Autism and autistic spectrum disorder are chronic neuro-developmental disorders characterized by social and language impairments and stereotyped, repetitive patterns of behavior. The etiology of autism remains unknown; however, a strong genetic component has been detected and environmental factors may also be involved in their etiologies. In the current study, we reviewed evidence for the presence of prenatal and perinatal factors, gastrointestinal factors, food allergies, metabolic and heavy metal factors, and other nutritional factors that may represent risk factors for the development of autism and autistic spectrum disorder.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.88-109
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper examines the effects of host country's non-economic factors on foreign affiliate's financial and operational performance. Design/Methodology - Using Korean-owned foreign affiliate-level data, we employ various measures that represent host country's non-economic factors and examine their effects on foreign affiliate's performance. We further investigate the effects of local top managers and local middle managers on the impact of country's non-economic factors on foreign affiliate's performance. Findings - We find that local top managers are effective in increasing foreign affiliate's financial performance by dealing with institutional and cultural factors, particularly in high-income countries, while local middle managers are effective in increasing affiliate's operational performance by responding to the changes in doing business factors, particularly in low-income countries. Originality/value - Considering that most of previous FDI studies focus on examining host country's economic factors on firm's FDI decision, our findings suggest that country's non-economic factors are strongly associated with actual business performance of foreign affiliates.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2016

Purpose: It is well known that old age is a risk factor for postoperative complications. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the risk factors for poor postoperative surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2015, 247 elderly gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy were reviewed. In this study, an elderly patient was defined as a patient aged ${\geq}65$ years. All possible variables were used to explore the risk factors for poor early surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. Results: Based on multivariate analyses of preoperative risk factors, preoperative low serum albumin level (<3.5 g/dl) and male sex showed statistical significance in predicting severe postoperative complications. Additionally, in an analysis of surgery-related risk factors, total gastrectomy was a risk factor for severe postoperative complications. Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that low serum albumin level, male sex, and total gastrectomy could be risk factors of severe postoperative complications in elderly gastric cancer patients. Therefore, surgeons should work carefully in cases of elderly gastric cancer patients with low preoperative serum albumin level and male sex. We believe that efforts should be made to avoid total gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer patients.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2010

The load and resistance factors are generally obtained using the First Order Reliability Method (FORM), in which the design point should be determined and derivative-based iterations have to be used. In this paper, a simple method for estimating the load and resistance factors using the first four moments of the basic random variables is proposed and a simple formula for the target mean resistance is also proposed to avoid iteration computation. Unlike the currently used method, the load and resistance factors can be determined using the proposed method even when the probability density functions (PDFs) of the basic random variables are not available. Moreover, the proposed method does not need either the iterative computation of derivatives or any design points. Thus, the present method provides a more convenient and effective way to estimate the load and resistance factors in practical engineering. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed fourth moment method for determining the load and resistance factors.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.261-284
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• 2009

The seismic behavior of a framed structure with chevron-type buckling restrained braces was investigated and their behavior factors, such as overstrength, ductility, and response modification factors, were evaluated. Two types of structures, building frame systems and dual systems, with 4, 8, 12, and 16 stories were designed per the IBC 2003, the AISC LRFD and the AISC Seismic Provisions. Nonlinear static pushover analyses using two different loading patterns and incremental dynamic analysis using 20 earthquake records were carried out to compute behavior factors. Time history analyses were also conducted with another 20 earthquakes to obtain dynamic responses. According to the analysis results, the response modification factors turned out to be larger than what is proposed in the provision in low-rise structures, and a little smaller than the code-values in the medium-rise structures. The dual systems, even though designed with smaller seismic load, showed superior static and dynamic performances.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.683-692
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• 2020

The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the volatility spillovers from global economic policy uncertainty and macroeconomic factors to the Islamic stock market returns. The study focuses on the Islamic stock indices of emerging economies including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey. The Macroeconomic factors are industrial production, consumer price index, exchange rate. EGARCH model is employed for investigation of volatility spillovers. The results show that the global economic policy uncertainty has a significant spillover effect only on the returns of Turkish Islamic stock index. Similarly, the shocks in macroeconomic factors have little influence on the volatility of Islamic indices returns. The volatility of Indonesian and the Turkish Islamic stock indices returns is not influenced from the fluctuations in macroeconomic factors. However, there is significant volatility spillover only from industrial production to the returns of Malaysian Islamic index. The results suggest that the Islamic stock markets are less likely to influence from the global economic policies and macroeconomic factors. The stability of Islamic stocks provide opportunity for diversification of portfolios, particularly in stressed market conditions. The major price factors of Islamic markets could be firms' specific factors or investors' behaviors. The findings are helpful for policy makers and investors in formulating policies and portfolios.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3483-3489
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• 2013

Background: To identify the prevalence of different stages of smoking and differences in associated risk factors. Materials and Methods: Thos longitudinal study started in February 2011 and the subjects were 2552 form one students aged between twelve to thirteen years of from 15 government secondary schools of Kinta, Perak. Data on demographic, parental, school and peer factors were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. We examined the effects of peer, school and parental factors on the five stages of smoking; never smokers, susceptible never smokers, experimenters, current smokers and ex-smokers, at baseline. Results: In the sample, 19.3% were susceptible never smokers, 5.5% were current smokers 6% were experimenters and 3.1% were ex-smokers. Gender, ethnicity, best friends' smoking status, high peer pressure, higher number of relatives who smoked and parental monitoring were found to be associated with smoking stages. Presence of parent-teen conflict was only associated with susceptible never smokers and experimenters whereas absence of home discussion on smoking hazards was associated with susceptible never smokers and current smokers. Conclusions: We identified variations in the factors associated with the different stages of smoking. Our results highlight that anti-smoking strategies should be tailored according to the different smoking stages.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2013

Purpose - Labor productivity is extremely important to the profitability and competitive advantage of organizations that provide services to customers, such as banks. This study investigates the factors driving labor productivity in Iran's Melli Bank. Research design, data, methodology - Five managerial, psychosocial, cultural, and individual factors are identified and their relative importance for labor productivity prioritized using AHP. The required data are then collected through a questionnaire designed for a pairwise comparison of the driving factors of labor productivity and their subcategories. Results - The study outcomes reveal that the managerial and individual factors are the most important. Specifically, the most important factors in increasing labor productivity in the branches of Melli Bank are having a competent supervisor, promotion opportunities, fair working conditions, conscientiousness, the right tools, and a correspondence between skills and work. Conclusions - Implementing AHP using Expert Choice software revealed that, among the driving factors of labor productivity (i.e., managerial, psychosocial, cultural, environmental, and personal), managerial factors were considered the most important by the respondents.