• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.5 s.92
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• pp.440-445
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• 2006

Acetaminophen (paracetamol), generally used as a pain reducing agent, has good analgesic efficacy in toothaches and headaches, but is of little use in inflammatory and visceral pain. This study was performed to analyze the level of acetaminophen in the Kyongahn river and to investigate the ecological risks of target compounds. Sampling sites were Haesil, Soopyo, Wangsan, Kyongahn, Jiwol, Kwangdong, Paldang and they were analyzed in June and August, 2005. Acute toxicity of acetaminophen wwas evaluated for Daphnia magna. From the ecotoxicological results, environmental risk assessments were performed for acetaminophen residues in Kyongahn river to predict their potential adverse effect. Acetaminophen was detected at Kyonahn river, $0.439{\mu}g/l$). The toxic concentration of acetaminophen calculated with 48-h $LC_{50}$ values as 16.9 mg/l. These results indicated that acetaminophen had no significant ecotoxicological impact on short-term acute exposure.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.457-466
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from sewerage facilities such as a sanitary sewers, outlets, and catch basins. In addition, the dominant malodorous VOCs among the compounds in this study were studied. Methods: Waste gas samples were collected at 27 points in a sanitary sewer in commercial and residental areas. The concentrations of seven volatile organic compounds, including benzene and toluene, in the samples were analyzed by gas chromatograph mass spectrophotometer (GC/MS). Odor concentrations were estimated using the concentration data of the VOCs and each compound's threshold limit value. Results: As a result, it appeared that the average concentration of total observed data for acetaldehyde was 15.98 ppb and benzene 1.87 ppb, toluene 82.31 ppb, ethyl benzene 63.12 ppb, m+p-xylene 15.66 ppb, oxylene 18.73 ppb, and styrene 4.39 ppb. VOC concentrations in the commercial area were higher than those in the residential area. VOC concentrations of waste gas emitted from sewer lines was also higher than those at the outlet and in the catch basins. It was estimated that the main malodorous VOC among the seven VOCs was acetaldehyde. Conclusions: As there is little data on VOC concentrations inside sewer facilities in Korea, these data will be helpful for estimating impact assessment of VOCs and establishing a counter-plan for the abatement of VOCs from sewer facilities in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2013

Objectives: We investigated the association between particulate matter less than $10{\mu}m$ in aerodynamic diameter ($PM_{10}$) exposure and non-accidental mortality in Asian populations by meta-analysis, using both time-series and case-crossover analysis. Methods: Among the 819 published studies searched from PubMed and EMBASE using key words related to $PM_{10}$ exposure and non-accidental mortality in Asian countries, 8 time-series and 4 case-crossover studies were selected for meta-analysis after exclusion by selection criteria. We obtained the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of non-accidental mortality per $10{\mu}g/m^3$ increase of daily $PM_{10}$ from each study. We used Q statistics to test the heterogeneity of the results among the different studies and evaluated for publication bias using Begg funnel plot and Egger test. Results: Testing for heterogeneity showed significance (p<0.001); thus, we applied a random-effects model. RR (95% CI) per $10{\mu}g/m^3$ increase of daily $PM_{10}$ for both the time-series and case-crossover studies combined, time-series studies relative risk only, and case-crossover studies only, were 1.0047 (1.0033 to 1.0062), 1.0057 (1.0029 to 1.0086), and 1.0027 (1.0010 to 1.0043), respectively. The non-significant Egger test suggested that this analysis was not likely to have a publication bias. Conclusions: We found a significant positive association between $PM_{10}$ exposure and non-accidental mortality among Asian populations. Continued investigations are encouraged to contribute to the health impact assessment and public health management of air pollution in Asian countries.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.269-280
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• 2000

This study was conducted to clarify the effect of physical ability, pain, fatigue, depression, sexual satisfaction, and spouse criticism on the sexual intrusiveness of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)women. The subjects of the study were 89 RA outpatients who visited the department of rheumatology of Dong-A University Hospital in Pusan from March 2000 to April, 2000. Pain & Fatigue via graphic rating scale, depression via CES-D(Center for Epidemiologic Studies -Depression) scale and physical ability via the Health Assessment questionnaire(HAQ) were assessed. Also we used both Sexual satisfaction scale(Kim, et al, 1997) to measure sexual satisfaction and Spouse criticism scale(Kraaimaat et al. 1996) to measure spouse criticism. The Intrusiveness rating scale which was derived from Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale(AIMS) was used to measure illness intrusiveness in sexuality. The relationships between the variables such as pain, depression, fatigue, physical ability, spouse criticism, sexual satisfaction and illness intrusiveness on sexuality were analyzed by Pearson correlation. As a result, pain & depression were significantly positively related to illness intrusiveness and physical ability & sexual satisfaction was significantly negatively related to illness intrusiveness. But these variables were interrelated. So hierarchical regression was performed to examine the relative contribution of pain, depression, physical ability, and sexual satisfaction with regard to intrusiveness of RA on sexuality. It revealed that pain, depression & sexual satisfaction predicted significantly illness intrusiveness on sexuality. Therefore it is very important to reduce pain and depression and to increase sexual satisfaction for reducing illness intrusiveness.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.81-113
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• 2009

This study conducted a regulatory impact analysis regarding the introduction of the Korean version of REACH(Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals). The direct cost of the Korean REACH is estimated at a total of 101 billion Korean won over the 11 year period. The cost includes pre-registration, testing, registration, Chemical Safety Assessment(CSA) and Chemical Safety Report(CSR), evaluation, and the authorization costs of 15,223 chemical substances produced and imported more than 1 ton per year in Korea in 2006. With regard to the benefit, the only public health benefit is included in the estimation. Based on the available foreign and domestic data, this study estimated that the economic values of public health benefits are in the range of 33.2~138.6 billion Korean won if only the savings of the National Health Expenditures are considered and it reaches 203.9~1,640.3 billion Korean won if the willingness to pay(WTP) for disease prevention is included. This study proved that the Korean REACH passed the cost/benefit criteria. The benefit-cost ratio of the Korean REACH, however, is estimated to be lower than its EU counterpart. Thus it is suggested that a rigorous study to reduce the costs to industry be required before the Korean government introduces the Korean REACH.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.251-266
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• 2022

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of critical infrastructure comprises a major pillar of maintenance management, shielding public safety and economic sustainability. Although SHM is usually associated with data-driven metrics and thresholds, expert judgement is essential, especially in cases where erroneous predictions can bear casualties or substantial economic loss. Considering that visual inspections are time consuming and potentially subjective, artificial-intelligence tools may be leveraged in order to minimize the inspection effort and provide objective outcomes. In this context, timely detection of sensor malfunctioning is crucial in preventing inaccurate assessment and false alarms. The present work introduces a sensor-fault detection and interpretation framework, based on the well-established support-vector machine scheme for anomaly detection, combined with a coalitional game-theory approach. The proposed framework is implemented in two datasets, provided along the 1st International Project Competition for Structural Health Monitoring (IPC-SHM 2020), comprising acceleration and cable-load measurements from two real cable-stayed bridges. The results demonstrate good predictive performance and highlight the potential for seamless adaption of the algorithm to intrinsically different data domains. For the first time, the term "decision trajectories", originating from the field of cognitive sciences, is introduced and applied in the context of SHM. This provides an intuitive and comprehensive illustration of the impact of individual features, along with an elaboration on feature dependencies that drive individual model predictions. Overall, the proposed framework provides an easy-to-train, application-agnostic and interpretable anomaly detector, which can be integrated into the preprocessing part of various SHM and condition-monitoring applications, offering a first screening of the sensor health prior to further analysis.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate 3-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of alveolar bone changes in patients who underwent minimally invasive periodontal surgery-namely, the pinhole surgical technique (PST). Materials and Methods: Alveolar bone height was measured and compared on CBCT images of 254 teeth from 23 consecutive patients with Miller class I, II, or III recession who had undergone PST. No patient with active periodontal disease was selected for surgery. Two different methods were used to assess the alveolar bone changes postoperatively. In both methods, the distance between the apex of the tooth and the mid-buccal alveolar crestal bone on pre- and post-surgical CBCT studies was measured. Results: An average alveolar bone gain >0.5 mm following PST was identified using CBCT(P=0.05). None of the demographic variables, including sex, age, and time since surgery, had any significant effect on bone gain during follow-up, which ranged from 8 months to 3 years. Conclusion: PST appears to be a promising treatment modality for recession that results in stable clinical outcomes and may lead to some level of resolution on the bone level. More long-term studies must be done to evaluate the impact of this novel technique on bone remodeling and to assess sustained bone levels within a larger study population.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.153-166
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• 2023

Health monitoring of civil infrastructures, in particular, old bridges that are still in service, has become more than necessary, given the risk that a possible degradation or failure of these infrastructures can induce on the safety of users in addition to the resulting commercial and economic impact. Bridge integrity assessment has attracted significant research efforts over the past forty years with the aim of developing new damage identification methods applicable to real structures. The bridge of Ouled Mimoun (Tlemcen, Algeria) is one of the oldest railway structure in the country. It was built in 1889. This bridge, which is too low with respect to the level of the road, has suffered multiple shocks from various machines that caused considerable damage to its central part. The present work aims to analyze the stability of this bridge by identifying damages and evaluating the damage rate in different parts of the structure on the basis of a finite element model. The applied method is based on an inverse analysis of the normal stress responses that were calculated from the corresponding recorded strains, during the passage of a real train, by means of a set of strain gauges placed on certain elements of the bridge. The results obtained from the inverse analysis made it possible to successfully locate areas that were really damaged and to estimate the damage rate. These results were also used to detect an excessive rigidity in certain elements due to the presence of plates, which were neglected in the numerical reference model. In the case of the continuous bridge monitoring, this developed method will be a very powerful tool as a smart health monitoring system, allowing engineers to take in time decisions in the event of bridge damage.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.126-137
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• 2023

Hemodialysis (HD) patients face a common problem of malnutrition due to poor appetite. This study aims to verify the appetite alteration model for malnutrition in HD patients through quantitative data and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. This study uses the Mixed Method-Grounded Theory (MMGT) method to explore various factors and processes affecting malnutrition in HD patients, create a suitable treatment model, and validate it systematically by combining qualitative and quantitative data and procedures. The demographics and medical histories of 14 patients were collected. Based on the theory, the research design is based on expansion and confirmation sequence. The usefulness and cut-off points of the creatinine index (CI) guidelines for malnutrition in HD patients were linked to significant categories of GT and the domain of ICF. The retrospective CIs for 3 months revealed patients with 3 different levels of appetite status at nutrition assessment and 2 levels of uremic removal. In the same way, different levels of dry mouth, functional support, self-efficacy, and self-management were analyzed. Poor appetite, degree of dryness, and degree of taste change negatively affected CI, while self-management, uremic removal, functional support, and self-efficacy positively affected CI. This study identified and validated the essential components of appetite alteration in HD patients. These MM-GT methods can guide the selection of outcome measurements and facilitate the perspective of a holistic approach to self-management and intervention.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2007

An environmental survey from three abandoned metal mine areas was undertaken on to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to heavy metals influenced by past mining activities. Tailings contained high concentrations of heavy metals may have a impact on soils and waters around the tailing piles. In order to perform the human risk assessment, chemical analysis data of soils, rice grains and waters for As, Cd, Cu and Pb have been used. The HQ values for heavy metals via the rice consumption were significantly higher compared with other exposure pathways in all metal mine areas. The resulting HI values in three mine areas were higher than 9.0, and their toxic risk due to rice ingestion was strong in these mine areas. The cancer risk of being exposed to As by the rice consumption from the A, B and C mine areas was $5.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, $6.8\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$ and $3.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, respectively. The As cancer risk via the exposure pathway of rice ingestion from these mine areas exceeds the acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set for regulatory purposes. Thus, the daily intakes of rice by the local residents from these mine areas can pose a potential health threat if exposed by long-term As exposure.