• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2011

Background: Pulmonary emphysema (PE) is major cause of obstructive pulmonary function impairment (OPFI), which is diagnosed by spirometry. PE by high resolution CT is known to be correlated with OPFI. Recently, low dose CT (LDCT) has been increasingly used for screening interstitial lung diseases including PE. The aim of this study was to evaluate OPFI risks of subjects with PE detected by LDCT compared with those detected by simple digital radiography (SDR). Methods: LDCT and spirometry were administered to 266 inorganic dust exposed retired workers, from May 30, 2007 to August 31, 2008. This study was approved by our institutional review board and informed consent was obtained. OPFI risk was defined as less than 0.7 of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), and relative risk (RR) of OPFI of PE was calculated by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 266 subjects, PE was found in 28 subjects (10.5%) by LDCT and in 11 subjects (4.1%) by SDR; agreement was relatively low (kappa value=0.32, p<0.001). FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were significantly different between PE and no PE groups determined by either SDR or LDCT. The differences between groups were larger when the groups were divided by the findings of SDR. When PE was present in either LDCT or SDR assays, the RRs of OPFI were 2.34 and 8.65, respectively. Conclusion: LDCT showed significantly higher sensitivity than SDR for detecting PE, especially low grade PE, in which pulmonary function is not affected. As a result, the OPFI risks in the PE group by LDCT was lower than that in the PE group by SDR.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.347-354
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• 2019

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the types of diseases that developed in semiconductor workers who have registered with the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS) and to identify potential common occupational characteristics by the type of claimed disease. Methods: A total of 55 semiconductor workers with cancer or rare diseases who claimed to the KWCWS were compared based on their work characteristics and types of claimed diseases. Leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and aplastic anemia were grouped into lymphohematopoietic (LHP) disorder. Results: Leukemia (n = 14) and breast cancer (n = 10) were the most common complaints, followed by brain cancer (n = 6), aplastic anemia (n = 6), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 4). LHP disorders (n = 24) accounted for 43%. Sixty percent (n = 33) of registered workers (n = 55) were found to have been employed before 2000. Seventy-six percent (n = 42) of registered workers and 79% (n = 19) among the registered workers with LHP (n = 24) were found to be diagnosed at a relatively young age, ${\leq}40years$. A total of 18 workers among the registered semiconductor workers were finally determined to deserve compensation for occupational disease by either the KWCWS (n = 10) or the administrative court (n = 8). Eleven fabrication workers who were compensated responded as having handled wafers smaller than eight inches in size. Eight among the 18 workers compensated (44 %) were found to have ever worked at etching operations. Conclusion: The distribution of cancer and rare diseases among registered semiconductor workers was closely related to the manufacturing era before 2005, ${\leq}8$ inches of wafer size handled, exposure to clean rooms of fabrication and chip assembly operations, and etching operations.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.425-430
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• 2023

Background: It is acknowledged that legislation acts as a motivator for organizational action on psychosocial risks. Our study aims to provide evidence on the relationship between key occupational safety and health (OSH) policy principles and organizational action on work-related stress, and, in turn, with reported employee job demands and resources and their experience of work-related stress. We focus on Italy where specific legislation and practices on work-related stress were introduced in 2008 which are underpinned by these key OSH policy principles. Methods: Secondary analysis of the Italian samples from the employer ESENER-2 and employee 6th EWCS surveys was conducted, using path analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM) linking the two datasets. Results: We found a strong statistically significant relationship between OSH policy principles and organizational action on work-related stress (C.I. = .62-.78 p < .001). The existence of an organizational action plan on work-related stress was found to be significantly associated with more reported job resources (C.I. = .02-.24, p < .05) but these were not found to be significantly associated with less work-related stress. No significant association was found between having an organizational action plan for work-related stress and reported job demands. However, job demands were significantly related to reported work-related stress (C.I. = .27-.47, p < .001). Conclusions: Findings add support to the call for specific legislation on work-related psychosocial risks and highlight how an organizational OSH culture underpinned by key OSH principles, and awareness/competence development on psychosocial risk management can have a positive effect on organizational action. However, further support needs to be provided to organizations around developing primary prevention interventions at the organizational level with the aim of reducing job demands.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.17.1-17.10
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the decline in quality of life (QOL) by examining changes in the employment status of workers who had completed medical treatment after an industrial accident. Methods: This study utilized the Panel Study of Worker's Compensation Insurance cohort (published in October 2020) containing a sample survey of 3,294 occupationally injured workers who completed medical care in 2017. We divided this population into four groups according to changes in working status. A multivariate logistic regression model was utilized for evaluating QOL decline by adjusting for the basic characteristics and working environment at the time of accident. Subgroup analysis evaluated whether QOL decline differed according to disability grade and industry group. Results: The QOL decline in the "maintained employment," "employed to unemployed," "remained unemployed," and "unemployed to employed" groups were 15.3%, 28.1%, 20.2%, and 11.9%, respectively. The "maintained employment" group provided a reference. As a result of adjusting for the socioeconomic status and working environment, the odds ratios (ORs) of QOL decline for the "employed to unemployed" group and the "remained unemployed" group were 2.13 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51-3.01) and 1.47 (95% CI, 1.13-1.90), respectively. The "unemployed to employed" group had a non-significant OR of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.54-1.07). Conclusions: This study revealed that continuous unemployment or unstable employment negatively affected industrially injured workers' QOL. Policy researchers and relevant ministries should further develop and improve "return to work" programs that could maintain decent employment avenues within the workers' compensation system.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.767-774
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• 2002

Conventional research on image restoration has focused on restoring degraded images resulting from image formation, storage and communication, mainly in the signal processing field. Related research on recovering original image information of caption regions includes a method using BMA(block matching algorithm). The method has problem with frequent incorrect matching and propagating the errors by incorrect matching. Moreover, it is impossible to recover the frames between two scene changes when scene changes occur more than twice. In this paper, we propose a method for recovering original images using EBMA(Extended Block Matching Algorithm) and a region compensation method. To use it in original image recovery, the method extracts a priori knowledge such as information about scene changes, camera motion and caption regions. The method decides the direction of recovery using the extracted caption information(the start and end frames of a caption) and scene change information. According to the direction of recovery, the recovery is performed in units of character components using EBMA and the region compensation method. Experimental results show that EBMA results in good recovery regardless of the speed of moving object and complexity of background in video. The region compensation method recovered original images successfully, when there is no information about the original image to refer to.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.31.1-31.14
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) in occupational disease claims and identify patterns of WRMSDs for each body part by industry and occupation. Methods: This study analyzed the raw data of occupational disease claims for musculoskeletal disorders deliberated by the Occupational Disease Decision Committee of the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service in 2020. The data was classified into 6 body parts with the highest numbers of occupational disease cases by using the complete enumeration data on principal diagnoses and 4 types of subdiagnoses in the raw data. The characteristics and approval rates of WRMSDs by body part, industry and occupation were examined and summarized. Results: A total of 13,015 occupational disease cases for WRMSDs were classified, and lumbar spinal (back) diseases accounted for the largest proportion of claimed diseases, followed by shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and neck diseases in a descending order. The occupations with the highest and second highest numbers of occupational disease cases by body part were found to be automobile assemblers and production-related elementary workers for the neck, school meal service workers and cooks for the back, construction frame mold carpenters and school meal service workers for the shoulder, elementary workers in mining and food service workers for the elbow, food service workers and automobile parts assemblers for the wrist, and ship welders and school meal service workers for the knee. Conclusions: This study examined the characteristics and approval status of WRMSDs by body part and occupation. Based on the study results, management strategies for the prevention of WRMSDs should be established regarding occupations with a high risk of WRMSDs for each body part.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.96-97
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• 1998

3D TOF MR Angiography is able to obtain thinner slice thickness, higher SNR, therefore higher spatial resolution than 2D TOF MR Angiography. Since it uses longer TR than 2D TOF MRA to allow stronger in-flow effect, the background tissue may not be fully saturated. Thus background tissue signal can be further suppressed by MTS(Magnetization Transfer Saturation). Flow-compensation was accomplished by GMN(Gradient Moment Nulling), and tracking saturation was used to suppress vein signal. The different flow signal at the entry of the slab and output of the slab can be compensated by TONE(Tilted Optimized Non-saturating Excitation) RF pulse.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.406-414
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• 2023

Background: This study examined age-group differences in the rate, severity, and cost of injuries among construction workers to support evidence-based worker safety and health interventions in the construction industry. Methods: Ohio workers' compensation claims for construction workers were used to estimate claim rates and costs by age group. We analyzed claims data auto-coded into five event/exposure categories: transportation incidents; slips, trips, and falls (STFs); exposure to harmful substances and environments; contact with objects and equipment (COB); overexertion and bodily reaction. American Community Survey data were used to determine the percentage of workers in each age group. Results: From 2007-2017, among 72,416 accepted injury claims for ~166,000 construction full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, nearly half were caused by COB, followed by STFs (20%) and overexertion (20%). Claim rates related to COB and exposure to harmful substances and environments were highest among those 18-24 years old, with claim rates of 313.5 and 25.9 per 10,000 FTE, respectively. STFs increased with age, with the highest claim rates for those 55-64 years old (94.2 claims per 10,000 FTE). Overexertion claim rates increased and then declined with age, with the highest claim rate for those 35-44 years old (87.3 per 10,000 FTE). While younger workers had higher injury rates, older workers had higher proportions of lost-time claims and higher costs per claim. The total cost per FTE was highest for those 45-54 years old ($1,122 per FTE). Conclusion: The variation in rates of injury types by age suggests that age-specific prevention strategies may be useful.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.6-15
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• 2012

Purpose : The objective of this study was to develop background gradient correction method using excitation pulse profile compensation for accurate fat and $T_2{^*}$ quantification in the liver. Materials and Methods: In liver imaging using gradient echo, signal decay induced by linear background gradient is weighted by an excitation pulse profile and therefore hinders accurate quantification of $T_2{^*}$and fat. To correct this, a linear background gradient in the slice-selection direction was estimated from a $B_0$ field map and signal decays were corrected using the excitation pulse profile. Improved estimation of fat fraction and $T_2{^*}$ from the corrected data were demonstrated by phantom and in vivo experiments at 3 Tesla magnetic field. Results: After correction, in the phantom experiments, the estimated $T_2{^*}$ and fat fractions were changed close to that of a well-shimmed condition while, for in vivo experiments, the background gradients were estimated to be up to approximately 120 ${\mu}T/m$ with increased homogeneity in $T_2{^*}$ and fat fractions obtained. Conclusion: The background gradient correction method using excitation pulse profile can reduce the effect of macroscopic field inhomogeneity in signal decay and can be applied for simultaneous fat and iron quantification in 2D gradient echo liver imaging.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.75-101
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• 2012

As the Reublic of Korea revised the Commercial Code including 40 articles of air transport enacted newly on May 23, 2011, so Korea became first legislative examples in the Commercial Code of the developed and developing countries. I would like to explain briefly the main contents of my paper such as (1) history of enacting newly Part VI (air transport) in the Korea's revised commercial law, (2) legal background enacting newly Part VI (air transport) in the Korea's revised commercial law and the problems on the conditions of air transport, (3) every countries' legislative examples on the civil liability of aircraft's operator, (4) unlawful Interference Convention and general risk convention of 2009, (5) main contents and prospects of the revised Commercial Code for the liability of aircraft's operator etc as the followings. Meanwhile as the Aviation Act, Commercial Code and Civil Code in Korea and Japan did not regulated at all the legal basis of solution on the disputes between victims and offender for the amount of compensation for damage due to personal or property damage caused by aircraft accidents in Korea and Japan, so it has been raised many legal problems such as protection of victims, standard of decision in trial in the event of aircraft accident's lawsuit case. But the Korean Revised Commercial Code including Part VI, air transport regulations was passed by the majority resolution of the Korean National Assembly on April 29, 2011 and then the South Korean government proclaimed it on May 23 same year. The Revised Commercial Code enforced into tothe territory of the South Korea from November 24, 2011 after six month of the proclaimed date by the Korean Government. Thus, though Korean Commercial Code regulated concretely and respectively the legal relations on the liability of compensation for damage in the contract of transport by land in it's Part II (commercial activities) and in the contract of transport by sea in its Part V (marine commerce), but the Amended Commercial Act regulated newly 40 articles in it's Part VI (air transport) relating to the air carrier's contract liability on the compensation for damage caused by aircraft accidents in the air passengers and goods transport and aircraft operator's tort liability on compensation for damage caused by the sudden falling or collision of aircraft to third parties on the surface and so it was equipped with reasonable and unified system among the transport by land, marine and air. The ICAO adopted two new air law conventions setting out international compensation and liability rules for damage caused by aircraft to third parties at a diplomatic conference hosted by it from April 20 to May 2, 2009. The fight against the effects of terrorism and the improvement of the status of victims in the event of damage to third parties that may result either from acts of unlawful interference involving aircraft or caused by ordinary operation of aircraft, forms the cornerstone of the two conventions. One legal instrument adopted by the Conference is "the Convention on Compensation for Damage to Third Parties, Resulting from Acts of Unlawful Interference Involving Aircraft" (Unlawful Interference Convention). The other instrument, "the Convention on Compensation for Damage Caused by Aircraft to Third Parties" (General Risk Convention), modernizes the current legal framework provided for under the 1952 Rome Convention and related Protocol of 1978. It is desirable for us to ratify quickly the abovementioned two conventions such as Unlawful Interference Convention and General Risk Convention in order to settle reasonably and justly as well as the protection of the South Korean peoples.