• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.249-261
• /
• 2020

Background: Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent worker health conditions worldwide. Although the effect of noise exposure on hearing is well researched, other workplace exposures may account for significant hearing loss. The aim of this review was to determine whether occupational hand-arm vibration exposure through use of power or pneumatic tools, independent of noise exposure, is associated with permanent hearing loss. Do workers suffer from hand-arm vibratione-induced hearing loss? Methods: Peer-reviewed articles published in English between 1981 and 2020 were identified through five online databases with five search keywords. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, including online database search methodology, study selection, article exclusion, and assessment of potential study design confounders and biases, were followed. Results: Database searches retrieved 697 articles. Fifteen articles that reported 17 studies met the criteria for review. All but two studies revealed statistically significant associations between occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration and hearing loss. The majority of the study results revealed associations between hand-arm vibration and hearing loss, independent of potential age and noise confounders. Conclusion: Few studies have examined the association between occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration and hearing loss. Dose response data were limited as only one study measured vibration intensity and duration. Although the majority of studies identified statistically significant associations, causal relationships could not be determined. Further research using standardized and uniform measurement protocols is needed to confirm whether the association between occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration and permanent hearing loss is causal and the mechanism(s).

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2001

This paper describes a procedure extracting feature vector of a target cell more precisely in the case of identifying specified cell. The classification of object type is based on feature vector such as area, complexity, centroid, rotation angle, effective diameter, perimeter, width and height of the object So, the feature vector plays very important role in classifying objects. Because the feature vectors is affected by noises and holes, it is necessary to remove noises contaminated in original image to get feature vector extraction exactly. In this paper, we propose the following method to do to get feature vector extraction exactly. First, by Otsu's optimal threshold selection method and morphological filters such as cleaning, filling and opening filters, we separate objects from background an get rid of isolated particles. After the labeling step by 4-adjacent neighborhood, the labeled image is filtered by the area filter. From this area-filtered image, feature vector such as area, complexity, centroid, rotation angle, effective diameter, the perimeter based on chain code and the width and height based on rotation matrix are extracted. To prove the effectiveness, the proposed method is applied for yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxn. It is also shown that the experimental results from the proposed method is more efficient in measuring feature vectors than from only Otsu's optimal threshold detection method.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.84-92
• /
• 1984

This article examined relationships between selected variables, such as demographic background, care, treatment variables, environmental characteristics, and patient's daily behavior and mood change. Relationship were determined between independent variabltherapeutic-rapeutie approach, demographic data, environmental management approach-,and dependent variable-patient's daily behavioral and mood change. 35 patients selected within some criteria in a psychiatric ward, were obserbed during 5 weeks by use of Wyatt's Behavior & Mood Rating Scale ac-cording to the object of the study. At the same time, the frequence of the care and treatment were collected. Criteria for sample selection and independent variables as an influential factor to the patient behavioral change, based on a literature revienw and clinical experiences. Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the influfntial factors to the patient behavioral change. Systematic reading (r=.8324), Psychiatrist's individual interview (r=.5764), tranquilizer (r=.3441) and hospitalization processing date (r=.4143) were related with patient's behavioral change. That is these 4 variables can be said to influence to the patient's behavior and mood. A stepwise multiple regression analysis of the effect of the independent varibles of systematic reading, psychintrists individual interview, tranquilizer and hospitalization processing date on the dependent variable, patient's behavioral change was carried out. Systematic reading with on R²of. 69 revealed to be the main influential factor to the patient's behavior and mood change, as the next factor psychiatrist individual interview. A total inclusion of these factors revealed a 73% prediction for the patient's behavior and mood change. But the most influential factor was the interaction of the systematic reading and psychiatrist's individual interview.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.4733-4739
• /
• 2015

Background: Oral cancer is the most common cancer among men and second only to breast cancer among women in Pakistan. For the effective control and prevention of oral cancer, Pakistan needs to recognize the importance of research and generation of the evidence-base which can inform policy making and planning and implementation of intervention programs. The objective of this review was to quantify oral cancer research output in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search in "Medline", "ISI-Web of Science" and "Pakmedinet", supplemented by a Google search, was carried out in January and February, 2014, to identify literature from Pakistan relevant to oral cancer. The selection of publications for the review was carried out according to preset criteria. Data were recorded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results: A total of 166 publications comprising 62 case series, 36 cross sectional, 31 case control, 10 basic laboratory research, eleven reviews and two trials, were included in this review. Some 35 % of the publications focused on risk factors for oral cancer. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology was the institution with the highest contribution. Conclusions: There is a lack of research in the field of oral cancer research in Pakistan. Focused efforts should be put in place to improve both quality and quantity of oral cancer research in the country.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.65 no.1
• /
• pp.142-149
• /
• 2016

This paper proposes a method to detect LP(License Plate) of vehicles in indoor and outdoor parking lots. In restricted environment, there are many conventional methods for detecting LP. But, it is difficult to detect LP in natural and complex scenes with background clutters because several patterns similar with text or LP always exist in complicated backgrounds. To verify the performance of LP text detection in natural images, we apply MB-LGP feature by combining with ensemble machine learning algorithm in purpose of selecting optimal features of small number in huge pool. The feature selection is performed by adaptive boosting algorithm that shows great performance in minimum false positive detection ratio and in computing time when combined with cascade approach. MSER is used to provide initial text regions of vehicle LP. Throughout the experiment using real images, the proposed method functions robustly extracting LP in natural scene as well as the controlled environment.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.449-464
• /
• 2016

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify essential requirements of the instrument cluster's features and layout for elderly drivers through interview and paper prototyping. Background: Recent updates implemented in passenger vehicles require more complex information to be processed by drivers. Concurrently, a large portion of the US population, the baby boomer generation has aged, causing their physical and cognitive abilities to deter. Thus it is crucial that new methods be implemented into vehicle design in order to accommodate for the deterioration of mental and physical abilities. Method: Forty elderly drivers and twenty young drivers participated in this study. The test included three sessions including: 1) location value assessment to identify the priority of areas within the instrument cluster; 2) component value assessment to capture rankings of the degree of importance and frequency of use for possible instrument cluster components; and 3) paper prototyping to collect self-designed cluster with selection of designs for each component and location of features from each participant. Results: Results revealed differences in the area priority of the instrument cluster as well as the shape and location of component features for age and gender groups. Conclusion: The study provided insights on instrument cluster layout guidelines by proving elderly driver's mental model and preferred cluster design configurations to improve driving safety. Application: LCD-based vehicle instrument cluster design, with an adaptable feature configuration for cluster components and layouts.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.17
• /
• pp.7871-7874
• /
• 2015

Background: There is no consensus regarding the selection of treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). This meta-analysis aimed to explore the survival benefit of hepatic resection after initial TACE for the treatment of HCC. Materials and Methods: We searched three major databases to identify all relevant papers comparing the outcomes of hepatic resection after initial TACE versus TACE alone for the treatment of HCC. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to evaluate the survival benefit of hepatic resection after initial TACE over TACE alone. Results: Three of 2037 initially identified papers were included. All of them were cohort studies from Asia. There was a significantly better overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing hepatic resection after initial TACE than in those undergoing TACE alone (HR=0.63, 95%CI=0.52-0.76, P<0.00001). The heterogeneity among studies was not statistically significant (P=0.96; I2=0%). Conclusions: Hepatic resection could improve the OS of HCC patients treated with initial TACE. Further randomized controlled trials should be necessary to identify the target population for the sequential use of hepatic resection after initial TACE and to compare the outcomes between patients undergoing hepatic resection after initial TACE session versus those undergoing TACE alone.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.95-113
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this review is to introduce the recent advance in allergic rhinitis and to provide help in establishing strategy and selection of drugs for Korean medical treatment of allergic rhinitis. Methods : We searched articles about allergic rhinitis comprehensively in PubMed, CNKI, JStage, KISTI. And in order to reflect clinical situation, we also reviewed some profession's writing for practitioners. Results : This review discussed allergic rhinitis's epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis. We found many standardized clinical practice guideline have been published in this field. And some guideline reflected accumulation of medical evidence on interventions in Korean medicine. It suggested that acupuncture, herbal medicine, herbal patch are useful to prevention and alleviate allergic symptoms. But some interventions have heterogeneity due to each nation's medical background. Conclusions : Acupuncture therapy is now recommended world widely for treating allergic rhinitis. But other interventions of Korean medicine are not well recognized in the same manner. We need more research to identify mechanism and rigorous clinical trials to clarify efficacy and safety of Korean medicine intervention.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.129-133
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND: This study was performed for selecting yeast mutants with a high tolerance for targeted metals, and determining whether yeasts strains tolerant to multiple heavy metals could be induced by sequential adaptations. METHODS AND RESULTS: A mutant yeast strain tolerant to the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) was selected by sequential elevated exposures to each metal with intermittent mutant isolation steps. A Cd-tolerant mutant was isolated by growing yeast cells in media containing $CdCl_2$ concentrations that were gradually increased to 1 mM. Then the Cd-tolerant mutant was gradually exposed to increasing levels of $CuCl_2$ in growth media until a concentration of 7 mM was reached, thus generating a strain tolerant to both Cd and Cu. In the subsequent steps, this mutant was exposed to $NiCl_2$ (up to 8 mM), and a resultant isolate was further exposed to $ZnCl_2$ (up to 60 mM), allowing the derivation of a yeast mutant that was simultaneously tolerant to Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn. CONCLUSION: This method of inducing tolerance to multiple targeted heavy metals in yeast will be useful in the bioremediation of heavy metals.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.347-352
• /
• 2016

Background: This study used receiver operating characteristic curve to analyze Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) adenosquamous carcinoma data to identify predictive models and potential disparities in outcome. Materials and Methods: This study analyzed socio-economic, staging and treatment factors available in the SEER database for adenosquamous carcinoma. For the risk modeling, each factor was fitted by a generalized linear model to predict the cause specific survival. An area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was computed. Similar strata were combined to construct the most parsimonious models. Results: A total of 20,712 patients diagnosed from 1973 to 2009 were included in this study. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 54.2 (78.4) months. Some 2/3 of the patients were female. The mean (S.D.) age was 63 (13.8) years. SEER stage was the most predictive factor of outcome (ROC area of 0.71). 13.9% of the patients were un-staged and had risk of cause specific death of 61.3% that was higher than the 45.3% risk for the regional disease and lower than the 70.3% for metastatic disease. Sex, site, radiotherapy, and surgery had ROC areas of about 0.55-0.65. Rural residence and race contributed to socioeconomic disparity for treatment outcome. Radiotherapy was underused even with localized and regional stages when the intent was curative. This under use was most pronounced in older patients. Conclusions: Anatomic stage was predictive and useful in treatment selection. Under-staging may have contributed to poor outcome.