• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.169-175
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• 2011

Objectives: The questionnaire of occupational stress index (OSI) has been popular in the workplace, and it has been tailored for bus drivers in Taiwan. Nevertheless, its outcomes for participants are based on self-evaluations, thus validation by their physiological stress biomarker is warranted and this is the main goal of this study. Methods: A cross-sectional study of sixty-three city bus drivers and fifty-four supporting staffs for comparison was conducted. Questionnaire surveys, 24-hour urine cortisol testing, and blood draws for dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) testing were performed. The measured concentrations of these biological measures were logarithmically transformed before the statistical analysis where various scores of stressor factors, moderators, and stress effects of each OSI domain were analyzed by applying multiple linear regression models. Results: For drivers, the elevated 24-hour urine cortisol level was associated with a worker's relationship with their supervisor and any life change events in the most recent 3 months. The DHEA-S level was higher in drivers of younger age as well as drivers with more concerns relating to their salary and bonuses. Non-drivers showed no association between any stressor or satisfaction and urine cortisol and blood DHEA-S levels. Conclusion: Measurements of biomarkers may offer additional stress evaluations with OSI questionnaires for bus drivers. Increased DHEA-S and cortisol levels may result from stressors like income security. Prevention efforts towards occupational stress and life events and health promotional efforts for aged driver were important anti-stress remedies.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2012

In order to improve the dimensional stability and mechanical performance of cement-based composites, the effect of an expansive admixture based on calcium sulphoaluminate (CSA) on the shrinkage and mechanical properties of strain-hardening cement-based composite (SHCC), which exhibits multiple cracks and pseudo strain-hardening behavior in the direct tension, is investigated. Polyethylene fibers reinforced SHCC mixtures with three levels (30, 70, and 100MPa) of compressive strength were compared through free shrinkage, compressive strength, flexural strength, and direct tensile strength measurements. The SHCC mixtures were cast with and without replacing 10% of Portland cement content with CSA admixture. According to test results, CSA admixture is effective in reducing shrinkage of SHCC material. SHCC mixture with CSA admixture exhibited a little higher strength than companion mixture without CSA admixture.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2008

Objective: The length of anterior-posterior commissure (AC-PC) in racial groups, age, gender of patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) and pallidotomy were investigated. Methods: From January 1996 to December 2003, 211 patients were treated with DBS and pallidotomy. There were 160 (76%) Caucasians, 35 (17%) Hispanics, 12 (5%) Asians and 4 Blacks (2%). There were 88 males and 52 females in DBS-surgery group and 44 males, 27 females in pallidotomy group. Mean age was 58 year-old. There were 19 males and 19 females and mean age was 54.7 years in the control group. Measurements were made on MRI and @Target software. Results: The average AC-PC distance was 24.89 mm (range 32 to 19), which increased with aging until 75 years old in Caucasian and also increased with aging in Hispanic, but the AC-PC distance peaked at 45 years old in Hispanic. The order of AC-PC distance were $24.6{\pm}2$ mm in Caucasian, $24.6{\pm}2.24$ mm in Asian, 24.53 mm in Black, $23.6{\pm}1.98$ mm in Hispanic. The average AC-PC distance in all groups was 24.22 mm in female who was mean age of 56.35, 25.28 mm in male who was mean age of 60.19 and $24.5{\pm}2$ mm in control group that was excluded because of the difference of thickness of slice. According to multiple regression analysis, the AC-PC distance was significantly correlated with age, race, and gender. Conclusion: The AC-PC distance is significantly correlated with age, gender, and race. The atlas of functional stereotaxis would be depended on the Variation of indivisual brain that can influenced by aging, gender, and race.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.50
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• pp.299.1-299.13
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• 2018

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with liver cirrhosis. However, it is not known whether the rate of skeletal muscle depletion is also associated with a poor prognosis. We investigated the prognostic impact of the rate of skeletal muscle depletion in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: We included retrospectively all patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent both multiple computed tomography scans and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurements. Results: A total of 131 patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 53.7 years and alcoholic liver disease was the most common cause (61.8%). Sixty-four patients (48.9%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The median changes in skeletal muscle area per year (${\Delta}SMA/y$) were -0.89%. During a median follow-up period of 46.2 months (range, 3.4-87.6), 45 patients (34.4%) died. In multivariate analyses, age, Child-Pugh score, HVPG, presence of sarcopenia and ${\Delta}SMA/y$ were independently associated with mortality. Cumulative mortality was significantly higher in patients with ${\Delta}SMA/y$ < -2.4% than those with ${\Delta}SMA/y{\geq}-2.4%$ (log-rank test, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Both the presence and rate of change of sarcopenia are independently associated with long-term mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.300-306
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate empirically through a specialist AHP analysis what factors should be more important in the development of the public health care system. In addition, we will use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for experts to achieve research purpose. Methods: The data analysis method of this study is as follows. First, we set up three metrics in order to measure the relative importance between the factors to be improved for the development of the public health care system and each of the sub-factors. A total of nine measurements (items) were set by combining the three measurement criteria for each measurement index. Second, the relative importance and priority analysis use the AHP analysis. Third, the subjects of this study were 15 experts in the field of public health care. The statistical processing was performed using the Expert Choice 2000 statistical program. Results: In order to development of the public health care system, experts ranked the most important as improvement in the systematic aspect of public health care (56%) as the first priority. Next, the relative importance analysis of the measurement items considering the multiple-weights of the sub-factors is as follows. The strengthen institutional improvement (revitalization of secondary public function hospital) was the number one, strengthen cooperation between agencies was the second, and Re-establishing the role of local public health care system was the third place. Conclusions: Considering the relative importance, factors that are considered to be important in the first place may not be improved as the best policy alternative due to limitations in spatial, temporal, financial, and institutional aspects. In this case, we suggest that we should choose the best policy alternative by using prioritization considering relative weights.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.547-557
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• 2009

LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) is an active remote sensing technology which provides 3D coordinates of the Earth's surface by performing range measurements from the sensor. Early small footprint LIDAR systems recorded multiple discrete returns from the back-scattered energy. Recent advances in LIDAR hardware now make it possible to record full digital waveforms of the returned energy. LIDAR waveform decomposition involves separating the return waveform into a mixture of components which are then used to characterize the original data. The most common statistical mixture model used for this process is the Gaussian mixture. Waveform decomposition plays an important role in LIDAR waveform processing, since the resulting components are expected to represent reflection surfaces within waveform footprints. Hence the decomposition results ultimately affect the interpretation of LIDAR waveform data. Computational requirements in the waveform decomposition process result from two factors; (1) estimation of the number of components in a mixture and the resulting parameter estimates, which are inter-related and cannot be solved separately, and (2) parameter optimization does not have a closed form solution, and thus needs to be solved iteratively. The current state-of-the-art airborne LIDAR system acquires more than 50,000 waveforms per second, so decomposing the enormous number of waveforms is challenging using traditional single processor architecture. To tackle this issue, four parallel LIDAR waveform decomposition algorithms with different work load balancing schemes - (1) no weighting, (2) a decomposition results-based linear weighting, (3) a decomposition results-based squared weighting, and (4) a decomposition time-based linear weighting - were developed and tested with varying number of processors (8-256). The results were compared in terms of efficiency. Overall, the decomposition time-based linear weighting work load balancing approach yielded the best performance among four approaches.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.509-518
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• 2019

This study was to examine the effects of social relations on school adjustment of in the middle school students on the mediating effect of stress coping style. The data of 3,406 middle school students in the study on '2016 Measurements of Korean Youth Competence and International Comparative Study III' by the NYPI were analysed. For data analysis, reliability analysis, correlation among variables, analysis of multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. The results of the study were: (1) social relations were found a key factor affecting the school adjustment of middle school students, (2) their social relations affected stress coping style, (3) stress coping style affected school adjustment, (4) stress coping style was proved to have the mediating effect between social relations and school adjustment. In conclusion, the implications and limitations were suggested for future research.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

This study is designed to analyse the difference between consciousness and behaviors for environmental preservation dependant on independent variables and to identify factors that affect the behaviors of environmental preservation. For this study, a questionnaire that included measurements of environmental preservation consciousness and behaviors was produced as a studying tool. Targets were 520 boy and girl students in the second grade of two high schools in Gwangju and three high schools in small districts of Chonnam Province and 482 questionnaires were distributed for the analysis. The data collected was analysed using SAS Program Package to obtain frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and correlation and T-Test One-way ANOVA, Duncan's M411ip1e Range Test, Multiple Regression were performed. The results of the analyses are as follows : 1. Overall, environmental preservation consciousness is higher than preservation behaviors. Interest in air pollution is the highest in both environmental preservation consciousness and behaviors and it is low in recycling. 2. The environmental preservation consciousness has a significant difference dependant on sex, regions, order of birth, educational background of parents and income level. the performing degree of environmental education, consciousness about kinds of environmental preservation, and whether the learning of theory and practice of environmental education is performed. 3. The environmental preservation behaviors has a significant difference dependant on regions, educational background of mother, mother's job, income level, acquiring of information, performing degree of environmental education and consciousness of kinds of environmental education. 4. Variables that affect environmental preservation behavior are environmental preservation consciousness, acquiring information, performing degree of environmental education and awareness of environmental preservation. Their power of explanation is 15%.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing the upper airway dimensions in skeletal Class II children and adolescents. In total, 67 patients were selected. Airway volume and minimal cross-sectional area were three-dimensionally assessed. Craniofacial morphology and skeletal maturity were assessed on generated two-dimensional cephalograms. The measurements were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Upper airway dimensions were significantly smaller in pre-peak stage group, and positively associated with age. Anterior facial height and age were the most relevant factors for airway volume. Mandibular width and age were the most relevant factors for minimal cross-sectional area. Upper airway dimensions were significantly associated with age, skeletal maturity and craniofacial morphology in all three planes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.483-490
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• 2019

Assessing the effect of forest fires and measuring the gas concentration around a fire has received little attention. Therefore, the concentrations of various gases in areas surrounding a fire need to be measured by the development of a suitable device. Unlike conventional portable devices, the AQS (Air Quality System) proposed in this paper is a portable instrument that measures five types of gases simultaneously, including CO, CO2, NOx, VOCs, and NH3, and has high durability through sensor protection algorithms. A PC-based program with an AQS connection was developed to monitor the real-time changes in the gas concentration. The reliability of the developed device was proven through a comparison of the results with other commercial gas analyzers. Measurements of the concentration due to indoor and outdoor fires were performed around a fire area to review the applicability and the predicted results were obtained.