• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.365-371
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• 2011

In Nigeria, malaria causes up to 11% of maternal mortality. Our main aim was to find out the most common mosquito control measures employed by the pregnant women in Lagos and their effects on malaria infection. The study was carried out over a period of 6 months during which trained interviewers administered questionnaires to 400 pregnant women. The prevalence of malaria was 8.4%. There was no significant association between the prevalence of malaria and age, level of education, or occupation of the participants. Pregnant women in the age range 26-30 had the mean parasite density ($409.9{\pm}196.80$). Insecticide spray (32.8%), mosquito coil (27.5%), and insecticide-treated nets (ITN) (15.5%) were the major mosquito control measures employed by the participants while the prevalence of infection among them were 2.3%, 6.2%, and 3.2%, respectively (P<0.05). Only 18.3% of the women had taken more than one dose of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT), while another 11.8% had taken a single dose. The infection rate among them was 4.1% and 6.4%, respectively. Malaria prevalence was highest among those who had not received any dose of IPT (10%). This study showed that the use of ITN and IPT among the pregnant women were still unacceptably low. It also showed that the use of insecticide spray which was the most common malaria control measure adopted by the participants was effective despite the fact that it is not a National Malaria Control Policy. We recommend that a sustained integrated mosquito man-agement and public education should be strengthened in Nigeria.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.285-290
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• 2006

The evaluation of clamping condition has been regarded as the main issue in the safety-maintenance of the clamped high-tension bolts. For this, this paper proposes a method to estimate the axial stress by measuring the TOF (Time-Of-Flight) of ultrasonic wave, which is based on the acoustoelasticity or the dependency of sound speed on the stress. In this method, however, the variation of sound speed within the range of stress induced under the field condition is very small, and thus the accuracy of the TOF measurement is important. We adopted the phase detection method using tone-burst ultrasonic wave to measure the precise TOF. In order to verify the usefulness of the proposed method experiments are carried out and the results were compared with the stress measured by the strain gage. The results show good agreement with each other, and from these we can conclude that the proposed method is highly useful fnr the evaluation of clamping condition in the clamped high-tension bolts.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.985-997
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• 2016

The objectives of this study, which filled gaps in previous studies, were: (1) to find the optimal mixing condition of nanoemulsions containing oleoresin capsicum (OC), Tween 80, propylene glycol (PG), and sucrose monostearate (SES) by microfluidization; (2) to investigate their properties and stability depending on such factors as pH, temperature, and heating time; (3) to measure the effect of adding ascorbic acid. In order to test these objectives, the following three experiments were conducted: Firstly, in order to find the optimal mixing ratio, nanoemulsions containing OC - the mean diameter of which is smaller than 100 nm - were prepared through the process of microfluidization; and their mean particle size, zeta potential, and capsaicinoids were measured. The test results indicated that the mixing ratio at OC : Tween 80 : PG + water(1:2) = 1 : 0.2 : 5 was optimal. Secondly, the properties and stability of nanoemulsions were investigated with varying parameters. The test results illustrated that single-layer nanoemulsions and double-layer nanoemulsions coated with alginate were stable, irrespective of all the parameters other than/except for pH 3. Thirdly, the properties of nanoemulsions were then analyzed according to the addition of ascorbic acid. The results demonstrated that the properties of single-layer nanoemulsions were not affected by addition of ascorbic acid. In case of alginate double-layer nanoemulsions, the particle size was reduced, and zeta potential increased with the addition of ascorbic acid. In conclusion, the demonstrated stability of various nanoemulsions under the different conditions in the present study suggests that these findings may constitute a basis in manufacturing various food-grade products which use nanoemulsions-and indicate that food nanoemulsions, if adopted in the food industry, have the potential to satisfy both the functionality and acceptability requirements necessary to produce commercially marketable food-grade products.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.113-135
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• 2013

This paper explores how research excellence is perceived among researchers in Thailand and Japan with an aim to explore whether there are any new indicators that could later be proposed and adopted as criteria of excellence. Based on a questionnaire survey, the findings reflect ideas and viewpoints that could be found among researchers in both countries. Creative researchers are crucial to a strong national research and innovation system. Institutions should provide an environment or incentives based on research performance for their researchers to flourish and be productive. For decades, bibliometrics have been used to evaluate individual research performance for its easy approach and faster speed than a qualitative assessment would warrant. Nonetheless, there have been a number of studies on research performance evaluating systems that point out how a purely bibliometric approach is inadequate in summarizing the quality of the scientific performance. The pressures on researchers today influence their thinking and oppose their creativity. To investigate the perception of research excellence, three key research questions were set in this study: what counts as excellence, how to measure excellence, and how to support excellence. The findings confirm that traditional granting criteria that frames an idea of excellence remain valid, but they also suggest novel criteria be considered and prioritized. This paper argues that the existing evaluating system is insufficient for unleashing the curiosity and creativity of researchers and fostering excellence. In the final section, the paper discusses factors that contribute to scientific creativity that we should not overlook.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.296-307
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• 2020

Permanent magnet sodium flowmeter (PMSF) have been used to measure the sodium flow in fast breeder reactors. Due to the effects of irradiation, thermal cycling, time lapse, etc., the magnetic flux density of the PMSF will decrease after being used in the reactor for a period of time. Therefore, it must be calibrated regularly. But some flowmeters that immersed in sodium cannot be removed for an off-line calibration, so the on-line calibration is required. However, the best online calibration accuracy of PMSF using cross-correlation analysis method was 2.0-level without considering the repeatability. In order to further improve this work, the operational principle of the transducer in PMSF is analyzed and the design principle of the transducer is proposed. The transducers were tested on the sodium flow loop to collect the experimental data. The signal characteristics are analyzed from the time and frequency domains, respectively. The cross-correlation analysis method based on biased estimation is adopted to obtain the flow rate. The verification experimental results showed that the measurement accuracy is 1.0-level when the flow velocity is above 0.5 m/s, and the measurement accuracy is 3.0-level when the flow velocity is in the range of 0.2 m/s to 0.5 m/s.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-17
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to find factors affecting health of the rural residents. The data were collected from a sample of 2,587 people aged from 40 to 70 in the year 2005-2006, Wonju City and Pyeongchang County, Gangwon-do, Korea. The theoretical model adopted in this study was the Lalonde's health field(human biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care organization). SF-12 was used to measure subjective health status. In the category of human biology, men were healthier than women. Age and BMI showed negative relation to health status. Income, education and social support showed positive relation to health status in the environment category. In the category of life style, stress showed negative relation to health status. Medical expenses showed negative relation to health status in the category of health care organization. After converting SF-12 score to percentage score, the health determinants portions were 47% lifestyle, 26% environment, 18% human biology and 9% health care organization. These findings suggest that life style, environment and biology are main factors in determinants of health. Especially stress in the life style category is more focused for the community health promotion. We also may be able to improve income, education and social support in the environment category with self empowerment efforts, community supports and government helps. Finally greater attention must be payed to life style in the future health planning and budget allocation priority in the healthcare area.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2009

The combustion characteristics of a single droplet of diesel and bio-diesel have been investigated experimentally with varying droplet size, ambient temperature and compound ratio in a high temperature chamber. The fuels used were diesel with bio-diesel contents varied from 0% to 100%. Each experiment has been performed from 970K to 1070K by 50K intervals. Imaging with a high-speed digital camera was adopted to measure the ignition delay and flame life-time, as well as to observe micro-explosion behavior. The increase of droplet size and decrease of furnace temperature cause an increase of the ignition delay time. As the bio-diesel content decreases, the ignition delay increases and the micro-explosion behavior is strengthened. It is also confirmed that the full combustion time decreases as the micro-explosion occurred.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.139-148
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• 2012

PURPOSES : The accuracy of travel time information is a key measure of effectiveness and reliability of advanced traveler information systems. This study aims at investigating drivers' perception on the acceptable level of information accuracy and their corresponding valuations. METHODS : A questionnaire survey was executed for collecting driver perception data to capture the expectation level of travel time information provided and their willingness to pay for the information. A Tobit model was adopted for exploring the relationship among the acceptable level, driver socioeconomic characteristics and travel attributes. Since drivers' willingness to pay for accurate travel time information can be different according to their travel lengths, a piecewise linear regression model was developed to capture the sensitivity of values of travel time information to travel length. RESULTS : The analysis results suggest that trip purpose and travel time are two dominant factors to determine drivers' acceptable level of travel time information. For business and short trips, drivers want more accurate information than for non-business and long trips. Drivers' willingness to pay for travel time information also varies depending on their incomes, trip purposes and travel lengths. The results also show that drivers' valuation of travel time information provided is sensitive to their travel length. For longer trips, drivers are less sensitive to travel time information and then put less value on the information provided. CONCLUSIONS : Censored nonlinear regression models are developed to estimate drivers' acceptable accuracy for travel time information and their valuation using questionnaire survey data. The findings on drivers perception to the required accuracy of travel time information and their corresponding willingness to pay can be used in the design and deployment of advanced traveler information system to improve its effectiveness and usefulness through high compliance.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.51-57
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• 2014

PURPOSES : An conventional method for electric power generation is converting thermal energy into mechanical energy then to electrical energy. Due to environmental issues such as global warming related with $CO_2$ emission etc., were the limiting factor for the energy resources which resulting in extensive research and novel technologies are required to generate electric power. Thermal energy harvesting using thermoelectric generator is one of energy harvesting technologies due to diverse advantages for new green technology. This paper presents a possibility of application of the thermoelectric generator's application in the direct exchange of waste solar energy into electrical power in road space. METHODS : To measure generated electric power of the thermoelectric generator, data logger was adopted as function of experimental factors such as using cooling sink, connection methods etc. Also, the thermoelectric generator、s behavior at low ambient temperature was investigated as measurement of output voltage vs. elapsed times. RESULTS : A few temperature difference between top an bottom of the thermoelectric generator is generated electric voltage. Components of an electrical circuit can be connected in various ways. The two simplest of these are called series and parallel and occur so open. Series shows slightly better performance in this study. An installation of cooling sink in the thermoelectric generator system was enhanced the output of power voltage. CONCLUSIONS : In this paper, a basic concepts of thermoelectric power generation is presented and applications of the thermoelectric generator to waste solar energy in road is estimated for green energy harvesting technology. The possibility of usage of thermoelectric technology for road facilities was found under the ambient thermal gradient between two surfaces of the thermoelectric module. An experiment results provide a testimony of the feasibility of the proposed environmental energy harvesting technology on the road facilities.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.999-1011
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• 2015

In modern electronic warfare, RADAR is under constant threat of ECM(Electronic Counter Measures) signals from nearby jammers. The conventional linear frequency modulated(Linear-FM) waveform is easy to be intercepted to estimate its signal parameters due to its periodical phase transition. Recently, APCN(Advanced Pulse Compression Noise) waveform using random amplitude and phase transition was proposed for LPI(Low probability of Intercept). But random phase code signals such as APCN waveform tend to be sensitive to Doppler frequency shift and result in performance degradation during moving target detection. In this paper, random phase and code rate transition based radar waveform(RPCR) is proposed for Doppler tolerance improvement. Time frequency analysis is carried out through ambiguity analysis to validate the improved Doppler tolerance of RPCR waveform. As a means to measure the vulnerability of the proposed RPCR waveform against LPI, WHT(Wigner-Hough Transform) is adopted to analyze and estimate signal parameters for ECCM(Electronic Counter Counter Measures) application.