• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.141-152
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• 2023

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological results for the association between occupational exposure as a firefighter and cancer as part of the broader evidence synthesis work of the IARC Monographs program. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies of firefighters followed for cancer incidence and mortality. Studies were evaluated for the influence of key biases on results. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the association between ever-employment and duration of employment as a firefighter and risk of 12 selected cancers. The impact of bias was explored in sensitivity analyses. Results: Among the 16 included cancer incidence studies, the estimated meta-rate ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity statistic (I²) for ever-employment as a career firefighter compared mostly to general populations were 1.58 (1.14-2.20, 8%) for mesothelioma, 1.16 (1.08-1.26, 0%) for bladder cancer, 1.21 (1.12-1.32, 81%) for prostate cancer, 1.37 (1.03-1.82, 56%) for testicular cancer, 1.19 (1.07-1.32, 37%) for colon cancer, 1.36 (1.15-1.62, 83%) for melanoma, 1.12 (1.01-1.25, 0%) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.28 (1.02-1.61, 40%) for thyroid cancer, and 1.09 (0.92-1.29, 55%) for kidney cancer. Ever-employment as a firefighter was not positively associated with lung, nervous system, or stomach cancer. Results for mesothelioma and bladder cancer exhibited low heterogeneity and were largely robust across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: There is epidemiological evidence to support a causal relationship between occupational exposure as a firefighter and certain cancers. Challenges persist in the body of evidence related to the quality of exposure assessment, confounding, and medical surveillance bias.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

A physical computing education is helpful for enhancing learners' computational thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving ability and so on. Recently, it is being actively promoted according to the software education policy and the 2015 revised national curriculum in Korea. This study describes a meta-synthesis of research on physical learning education that investigates the extent to which there is evidence of benefits and challenges for physical computing education. 37 articles were identified, and 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. The synthesis resulted in the list of purposes, teaching and learning methods, and physical computing tools, and benefits of physical computing education.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to identify the main issues of international STEM education by synthesizing the findings in the field of global STEM education. The data in this study are the results of meta-analysis or systematic literature studies that reflect key issues of STEM education through the review of selection criteria and groups of experts. The following issues of STEM education were selected by conducting a qualitative meta-analysis of a total of 23 studies. First, STEM education is a global educational trend and has been studied in many countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, and Turkey. Second, STEM education contributes positively to the improvement of students' cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and career domains. Third, STEM education has been studied with the use of various instructional tools and technologies. Furthermore, the growth of teachers' expertise in STEM education is one of the main factors for the implementation of successful STEM education. In addition, issues such as diversity, equity, and valid and reliable research design were discussed for the successful practice of STEM education. This study provides implications for the direction of convergence education and practical strategies in South Korea and gives suggestions for future research.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.346-368
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• 2021

Background: Recalcitrant disc herniation may result in chronic lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica. Fluoroscopically directed epidural injections and other conservative modalities may provide inadequate improvement in some patients. In these cases, percutaneous neurolysis with targeted delivery of medications is often the next step in pain management. Methods: An evidence-based system of methodologic assessment, namely, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used. Multiple databases were searched from 1966 to January 2021. Principles of the best evidence synthesis were incorporated into qualitative evidence synthesis. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients with significant pain relief and functional improvement (≥ 50%). Duration of relief was categorized as short-term (< 6 months) and long-term (≥ 6 months). Results: This assessment identified one high-quality randomized controlled trial (RCT) and 5 moderate-quality non-randomized studies with an application of percutaneous neurolysis in disc herniation. Overall, the results were positive, with level II evidence. Conclusions: Based on the present systematic review, with one RCT and 5 non-randomized studies, the evidence level is II for percutaneous neurolysis in managing lumbar disc herniation.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.717-722
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• 1993

N-Phenyl oxadiazolidinedione derivatives II were synthesized and their herbicidal activities were measured against grass weeds. A parabolic relationship between molar refractivity (MR) of meta substituents of dione Ⅱ and their herbicidal activities was observed. With the substituents having MR value=${\sim}15$, the higher activities were obtained. Especially, the highest herbicidal activity (97% inhibition of weeds at 0.25 kg/ha) was observed by propyne IIr containing propargyloxy group as meta substituent.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.738-752
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• 2021

This study was to applied QIMS(Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis) which was newly introduced in the field of social science recently to explore the client violence experience and coping in the social workers in a new way and in depth. The integrated analysis of the results of qualitative individual studies published in Korea so far has resulted in abundant results with accumulated knowledge and synergistic understanding paths of existing research results, and the limitations of qualitative research have been overcome. Eight published papers from 2013 to 2020 were included in the final analysis, and a total of 85 social workers analyzed the statements. The newly important themes created through the process of reducing the scope of data and the repetition of theme extraction and integration were divided into four categories: (1) violence and pain that can not be removed, (2) duality experienced as a result of occupation, (3) continuous attempts to change, (4) manifestation of sense of duty and job meaning. Based on the results of the integrated themes derived from this study, this study aims to present practical and policy alternatives to the prevention and coping of client violence experienced by social workers in various social welfare practice fields.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-30
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to integrate the results of qualitative studies to understand critical care survivors' experience of the post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Methods: This was a meta-synthesis of primary studies that used qualitative methods. We reviewed 26 qualitative studies on PICS selected from 8 international and Korean databases and from a manual search. Thomas and Harden's 3 stages (free coding, development of descriptive themes, generation of analytical themes) for thematic synthesis were utilized to analyze the collected qualitative data. Results: Four descriptive themes emerged from the thematic synthesis: weak physical conditions, psycho-emotional changes, the painful-memory of intensive care units, and social vulnerability. The analytical theme for the current study was "unfamiliarity with the vulnerable self." Critical care survivors had to confront entirely different "selves" after discharge from intensive care units. They had become physically weak, psychologically unstable, and the critical memories continued to create distress. These changes increased their social vulnerability by making them dependent on others, causing family conflicts, and changing interpersonal relationships. Conclusions: Finding from this qualitative synthesis and other related literature highlight the severity of PICS and the importance of rehabilitative intervention for critical care survivors.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.360-366
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• 2008

Poly(dialkoxyphenylene 1,3,4-oxadiazole)s were conveniently synthesized to compare their material properties of solvent solubility, thermal stability and molecular alignment with respect to alkyl chain length and meta/para-phenylene structure. All prepared polymers exhibited good solubility in co-solvents containing various volume levels of chloroform to trifluoroacetic acid. Meta-polymers showed slightly better solubility than para-polymers. All polymers produced were thermally stable up to $320^{\circ}C$. Photoluminescence of polymer films was observed with blue light emission at around 450 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns of all polymers indicated that they were composed of stacked molecular sheets with the same layer-to-layer distance of $3.4\;{\AA}$. However, side chain-to-side chain and main chain-to-main distances within the layers increased with increasing alkyl chain lengths. The meta-polymer chains were separated more than the para-polymer chains.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.355-369
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• 2022

Objective: To evaluate the completeness of the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in a general radiology journal using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four articles (systematic review and meta-analysis, n = 18; systematic review only, n = 6) published between August 2009 and September 2021 in the Korean Journal of Radiology were analyzed. Completeness of the reporting of main texts and abstracts were evaluated using the PRISMA 2020 statement. For each item in the statement, the proportion of studies that met the guidelines' recommendation was calculated and items that were satisfied by fewer than 80% of the studies were identified. The review process was conducted by two independent reviewers. Results: Of the 42 items (including sub-items) in the PRISMA 2020 statement for main text, 24 were satisfied by fewer than 80% of the included articles. The 24 items were grouped into eight domains: 1) assessment of the eligibility of potential articles, 2) assessment of the risk of bias, 3) synthesis of results, 4) additional analysis of study heterogeneity, 5) assessment of non-reporting bias, 6) assessment of the certainty of evidence, 7) provision of limitations of the study, and 8) additional information, such as protocol registration. Of the 12 items in the abstract checklists, eight were incorporated in fewer than 80% of the included publications. Conclusion: Several items included in the PRISMA 2020 checklist were overlooked in systematic review and meta-analysis articles published in the Korean Journal of Radiology. Based on these results, we suggest a double-check list for improving the quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Authors and reviewers should familiarize themselves with the PRISMA 2020 statement and check whether the recommended items are fully satisfied prior to publication.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.857-870
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• 1997

The purposes of this study were to describe 12 years of patient-related oncology nursing research in Korea, identifying various nursing interventions, and assesing the effectiveness of the interventions, through analysis and synthesis of the accumulated research papers. One hundred and seventy-nine studies were selected for this study and these were mostly descriptive in design (69.2%). Of the 179 studies, 25 met the criteria for meta-analytic treatment. Twenty-five experimental studies were found in theses and dissertations (68%), 92% used convenience sample, and the median sample size was 40. Subjects were predominantly in treatment and rehabilitation (76%). Most studies(68%) were not derived from a theory base, with only 8% reporting use of a nursing theory. Results of the meta-analysis are as follows. The effect size of the nursing intervention type was found to be significantly effective. The standardized mean difference ranged from a high positive of 2.55 to a low negative of -0.22. Direct personal nursing intervention method was more effective than indirect group method. Two nursing intervention methods were more effective than one. The greatest effect size was thyxical intervention. The greatest mean effect size was scalp hypothermia technique. Teaching was a frequent intervention after 1990, although a wide range of treatments were studied. Effect size of intervention for symptom management was largest in relieving pain. Effective intervention method for relieving anxiety was exercise.