• Title/Summary/Keyword: health coverage

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Ultrasonic guided wave approach incorporating SAFE for detecting wire breakage in bridge cable

  • Zhang, Pengfei;Tang, Zhifeng;Duan, Yuanfeng;Yun, Chung Bang;Lv, Fuzai
    • Smart Structures and Systems
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    • v.22 no.4
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    • pp.481-493
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    • 2018
  • Ultrasonic guided waves have attracted increasing attention for non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of bridge cables. They offer advantages like single measurement, wide coverage of acoustical field, and long-range propagation capability. To design defect detection systems, it is essential to understand how guided waves propagate in cables and how to select the optimal excitation frequency and mode. However, certain cable characteristics such as multiple wires, anchorage, and polyethylene (PE) sheath increase the complexity in analyzing the guided wave propagation. In this study, guided wave modes for multi-wire bridge cables are identified by using a semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) technique to obtain relevant dispersion curves. Numerical results indicated that the number of guided wave modes increases, the length of the flat region with a low frequency of L(0,1) mode becomes shorter, and the cutoff frequency for high order longitudinal wave modes becomes lower, as the number of steel wires in a cable increases. These findings were used in design of transducers for defect detection and selection of the optimal wave mode and frequency for subsequent experiments. A magnetostrictive transducer system was used to excite and detect the guided waves. The applicability of the proposed approach for detecting and locating wire breakages was demonstrated for a cable with 37 wires. The present ultrasonic guided wave method has been found to be very responsive to the number of brokenwires and is thus capable of detecting defects with varying sizes.

Consumer Perspectives on the Informed Consent of Off-label Drug Use in South Korea (의약품의 허가외사용 정보제공과 동의에 대한 일반인 인식)

  • Lee, Iyn-Hyang;Kye, Seunghee;Je, Nam Kyung;Lee, Sukhyang
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.265-271
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    • 2014
  • Objective: This study aims to explore the perception of off-label use of medications and the provision of informed consents from the general public's perspective. Methods: The study subjects (n=291) were recruited from 7 cities in Korea through a convenience sampling method. The self-administered questionnaire with 13 items was issued and collected. The study subjects who have had a pharmaceutical job were excluded. Results: The total of 231 respondents was included. Only 23% of respondents were familiar with the concept of off-label use of medications. Eighty five percent of respondents (n=196) stated that the prescribers should explain the off-label use of a medication to their patients. The preferred method for delivering the message was the oral explanation (n=122, 53%), followed by oral explanation plus a pamphlet (n=94, 41%). The safety issue is the most concerned aspect regarding the off-label drug use, also effectiveness and insurance coverage. The majority of respondents (n=217, 94%) agreed that the prescriber should get a consent from patients before prescribing medications for off-label use. They preferred written consent to oral consent (140 vs. 77). Conclusion: This study demonstrated general publics are infrequently aware of off-label use of medications. It is important to raise public awareness of the off-label use of medications and to openly discuss its pros and cons for safe and effective drug therapy.

Mechanical Design and Development of a Digital Tongue Imaging System Equipped with LEDs (LED 광원을 이용한 디지털 혀 영상 촬영장치의 기구설계와 개발)

  • Nam, Dong-Hyun;Kim, Ji-Hye;Lee, Sang-Suk
    • The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.41-48
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    • 2012
  • Objectives: The aims of this study are to design a optimized mechanical structure of digital tongue imaging system (DTIS) equipped with LEDs in aspects of object distance and camera angle of coverage. Methods and Results: We tried to find optimized object distance while recording a rectangular object of common tongue size. In case object distance is 22 cm or less, edge of the rectangle was not taken beyond the shooting range. In contrast, if object distance is 40 cm or more, the rectangle image was too small. Therefore when considering the variation of subjects, we selected distance of 35-40 cm as appropriate object distance for the DTIS. We also tried to find optimized angle between camera view axis and horizontal line. We photographed from the side of the face of 7 adults with exposed tongue. We drew an exposed tongue lines to connect the tongue tip points and the tongue root points by using the photos acquired from the side faces. And then we calculated the tongue exposure angles between the vertical line and the exposed tongue lines. Mean tongue exposure angle was $28.3^{\circ}$ when tongue was lightly exposed and $13.3^{\circ}$ when maximally. So we determined $73^{\circ}$ as appropriate slope angle of part in contact with face of the DTIS and by considering that the standard variation was great, we designed control gears to adjust the slope of the camera view axis and to regulate the object distance. Conclusions: We designed a optimized mechanical structure in object distance and slope angle of part in contact with face of the DTIS.

SEM/EDS Evaluation of Gold Bonding Agent Applied on Non-precious Alloys and Cast CP-Ti (도재 소부용 비귀금속 합금과 티타늄에 적용한 Gold Bonding Agent의 전자현미경적 평가)

  • Lee, Jung-Hwan;Ahn, Jae-Seok
    • Journal of dental hygiene science
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.153-160
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    • 2009
  • The purposed of this study was to investigate the effect of Gold bonding agent as intermediate layer between metal substrate and ceramic coating. Gold bonding agent used to seal off any surface porosity, to mask the greyish color of the metal, and to provide an underlying bright golden hue to the ceramic coverage. The adhesion between metal substrate and ceramic is related to diffusion of oxygen during ceramic firing. The oxide layer produced on non-precious alloy anti titanium was considered to have a potentially adverse effect on metal-ceramic bonding. The oxidation characteristics of titanium and non-precious alloys are the main problem. Every group were divided into test and control groups. Control groups are carried out process of degassing for product oxide layer. Au coating was applied on each Ni-Cr, Co-Cr alloys and cp-Ti specimens with difference surface condition or degassing. Specimens surfaces and cutting plane was characterized by SEM/EDS. Results suggested that Au coating is effective barriers to protect metal oxidation during ceramic firing.

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Design of Integrated medical sensor node and Mobile Vital Healthcare diagnosis System (통합형 메디컬센서노드와 모바일 환자생체정보 관리 시스템 설계)

  • Lee, Seung-chul;Gwon, Tae-Ha;Chung, Wan-Young
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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    • 2009.05a
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    • pp.302-305
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    • 2009
  • The Multiple vital signs management system using Mobil phone is designed with Wireless sensor network and CDMA which are integrated to create a wide coverage to support various environments like inside and outside of hospital. Health signals from medical sensor node are analysed in cell phone first for real time signal analyses and then the abnormal vital signs are sent and save to hospital server for detail signal processing and doctor's diagnosis. We developed integrated vital access processor of sensor node to use selective medical interface(ECG, Blood pressure and sugar module) and control the self-organizing network of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes is able to check using graph view in mobile phone.

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Does periosteum promote chondrogenesis? A comparison of free periosteal and perichondrial grafts in the regeneration of ear cartilage

  • Yoo, Hyokyung;Yoon, Taekeun;Bae, Hahn-Sol;Kang, Min-Suk;Kim, Byung Jun
    • Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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    • v.22 no.5
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    • pp.260-267
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    • 2021
  • Background: Elastic ear cartilage is a good source of tissue for support or augmentation in plastic and reconstructive surgery. However, the amount of ear cartilage is limited and excessive use of cartilage can cause deformation of the auricular framework. This animal study investigated the potential of periosteal chondrogenesis in an ear cartilage defect model. Methods: Twelve New Zealand white rabbits were used in the present study. Four ear cartilage defects were created in both ears of each rabbit, between the central artery and marginal veins. The defects were covered with perichondrium (group 1), periosteum taken from the calvarium (group 2), or periosteum taken from the tibia (group 3). No coverage was performed in a control group (group 4). All animals were sacrificed 6 weeks later, and the ratio of neo-cartilage to defect size was measured. Results: Significant chondrogenesis occurred only in group 1 (cartilage regeneration ratio: mean±standard deviation, 0.97±0.60), whereas the cartilage regeneration ratio was substantially lower in group 2 (0.10±0.11), group 3 (0.08±0.09), and group 4 (0.08±0.14) (p= 0.004). Instead of chondrogenesis, osteogenesis was observed in the periosteal graft groups. No statistically significant differences were found in the amount of osteogenesis or chondrogenesis between groups 2 and 3. Group 4 showed fibrous tissue accumulation in the defect area. Conclusion: Periosteal grafts showed weak chondrogenic potential in an ear cartilage defect model of rabbits; instead, they exhibited osteogenesis, irrespective of their embryological origin.

Improvement of Vegetation Cooling Effects in BioCAS for Better Estimation of Daily Maximum Temperature during Heat Waves - In Case of the Seoul Metropolitan Area - (식생냉각효과 적용을 통한 BioCAS의 폭염기간 일 최고기온 추정 개선 - 서울 및 수도권지역을 중심으로 -)

  • Lee, Hankyung;Yi, Chaeyeon;Kim, Kyu Rang;Cho, Changbum
    • Atmosphere
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.131-147
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    • 2019
  • On the urban scale, Micro-climate analysis models for urban scale have been developed to investigate the atmospheric characteristics in urban surface in detail and to predict the micro-climate change due to the changes in urban structure. BioCAS (Biometeorological Climate Impact Assessment System) is a system that combines such analysis models and has been implemented internally in the Korea Meteorological Administration. One of role in this system is the analysis of the health impact by heat waves in urban area. In this study, the vegetation cooling models A and B were developed and linked with BioCAS and evaluated by the temperature drop at the vegetation areas during ten selected heat-wave days. Smaller prediction errors were found as a result of applying the vegetation cooling models to the heat-wave days. In addition, it was found that the effects of the vegetation cooling models produced different results according to the distribution of vegetation area in land cover near each observation site - the improvement of the model performance on temperature analysis was different according to land use at each location. The model A was better fitted where the surrounding vegetation ratio was 50% or more, whereas the model B was better where the vegetation ratio was less than 50% (higher building and impervious areas). Through this study, it should be possible to select an appropriate vegetation cooling model according to its fraction coverage so that the temperature analysis around built-up areas would be improved.

Reconstruction of cutaneous defects of the nasal tip and alar by two different methods

  • Kim, Yong Hun;Yoon, Hyung Woo;Chung, Seum;Chung, Yoon Kyu
    • Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.260-263
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    • 2018
  • Background: The alar and nasal tip are important subunits of the nose. Determining the optimal procedure for reconstructing a cutaneous defect in a nasal subunit depends on several factors including size, location, and involvement of deep underlying structures. We treated cutaneous defects after tumor ablation in the alar and nasal tip with a local flap, using an S-shaped design and a modified V-Y advancement flap with a croissant shape. Methods: We analyzed 36 patients with skin tumors who underwent flap coverage after tumor ablation. Rotation flaps were used in 26 cases and croissant-shaped V-Y advancement flaps were used in 10 cases. The primary cause of the defects was skin cancer, except for one benign tumor. Results: The mean patient age was 71 years. The size of the defects ranged from $0.49cm^2$ to $3.5cm^2$. No recurrence of skin cancer was noted and all flaps lasted until the end of follow-up. Partial desquamation of the epidermis was noted in one case. The postoperative appearance for most patients was excellent, objectively and subjectively. Conclusion: For cutaneous defects of up to about $4.0cm^2$ of the alar and nasal tip, local flaps using our methods offered a good cosmetic and therapeutic result. The main advantage of our flaps is the minimal dissection required compared to bilobed and other local flap methods. We believe our flaps are a suitable option for alar and nasal tip reconstruction.

Dosimetric and Radiobiological Evaluation of Dose Volume Optimizer (DVO) and Progressive Resolution Optimizer (PRO) Algorithm against Photon Optimizer on IMRT and VMAT Plan for Prostate Cancer

  • Kim, Yon-Lae;Chung, Jin-Beom;Kang, Seong-Hee;Eom, Keun-Yong;Song, Changhoon;Kim, In-Ah;Kim, Jae-Sung;Lee, Jeong-Woo
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.106-114
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    • 2018
  • This study aimed to compare the performance of previous optimization algorithms against new a photon optimizer (PO) algorithm for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for prostate cancer. Eighteen patients with prostate cancer were retrospectively selected and planned to receive 78 Gy in 39 fractions of the planning target volume (PTV). All plans for each patient optimized with the dose volume optimizer (DVO) and progressive resolution optimizer (PRO) algorithms for IMRT and VMAT were compared against plans optimized with the PO within Eclipse version 13.7. No interactive action was performed during optimization. Dosimetric and radiobiological indices for the PTV and organs at risk were analyzed. The monitor units (MU) per plan were recorded. Based on the plan quality for the target coverage, prostate IMRT and VMAT plans using the PO showed an improvement over DVO and PRO. In addition, the PO generally showed improvement in the tumor control probability for the PTV and normal tissue control probability for the rectum. From a technical perspective, the PO generated IMRT treatment plans with fewer MUs than DVO, whereas it produced slightly more MUs in the VMAT plan, compared with PRO. The PO showed over potentiality of DVO and PRO whenever available, although it led to more MUs in VMAT than PRO. Therefore, the PO has become the preferred choice for planning prostate IMRT and VMAT at our institution.

Analysis of Korean Medicine Treatment in Children with Cerebral Palsy (뇌성마비 아동의 한의치료 양상 분석)

  • Jeong, Hyunwoo;Hur, Youngjin;Yun, Youngju
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.12-23
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    • 2019
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the aspects of the Korean medicine (KM) treatment among children with cerebral palsy (CP) according to the disease characteristics. Methods: In a prospective observational multicenter study for children with CP, we analyzed 78 baseline questionnaires of children having experience of KM treatments such as acupuncture and Korean herbal medicine and 43 follow-up data of children who have received KM during the one observation year. Results: Of all the 182 participants, 38 children were currently getting KM treatment and 40 children have discontinued KM treatment. Children with non-spastic CP and more health problems tended to use KM. The most frequent reason for quitting acupuncture therapy was 'suffering of children' and the highest reason of stopping herbal medicine was 'rejection of children'. Among the 133 participants finished one year follow-up, 43 children have received at least one KM treatment. The average number of acupuncture therapy was twice a week and the average monthly cost of acupuncture therapy and herbal medicine were 65,922 won and 476,003 won, respectively. Children under 32 month old have received significantly more acupuncture and children with non-spastic CP have taken significantly more herbal medicine. Conclusions: Further study will be required to confirm the effectiveness of KM and increase the utilization of KM among the children with CP. More efforts should be made to increase the convenience of acupuncture therapy and herbal medicine and to expand the insurance coverage of KM for children with CP.