• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8107-8112
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• 2016

Background and Aims: Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in Malaysia. We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Malaysian Chinese version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire core (QLQ-C30) in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Translated versions of the QLQ-C30 were obtained from the EORTC. A cross sectional study design was used to obtain data from patients receiving treatment at two teaching hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Malaysian Chinese version of QLQ-C30 was self-administered in 96 patients while the Karnofsky Performance Scales (KPS) was generated by attending surgeons. Statistical analysis included reliability, convergent, discriminate validity, and known-groups comparisons. Statistical significance was based on p value ${\leq}0.05$. Results: The internal consistencies of the Malaysian Chinese version were acceptable [Cronbach's alpha (${\alpha}{\geq}0.70$)] in the global health status/overall quality of life (GHS/QOL), functioning scales except cognitive scale (${\alpha}{\leq}0.32$) in all levels of analysis, and social/family functioning scale (${\alpha}=0.63$) in patients without a stoma. All questionnaire items fulfilled the criteria for convergent and discriminant validity except question number 5, with correlation with role (r = 0.62) and social/family (r = 0.41) functioning higher than with physical functioning scales (r = 0.34). The test-retest coefficients in the GHS/QOL, functioning scales and in most of the symptoms scales were moderate to high (r = 0.58 to 1.00). Patients with a stoma reported statistically significant lower physical functioning (p=0.015), social/family functioning (p=0.013), and higher constipation (p=0.010) and financial difficulty (p=0.037) compared to patients without stoma. There was no significant difference between patients with high and low KPS scores. Conclusions: Malaysian Chinese version of the QLQ-C30 is a valid and reliable measure of HRQOL in patients with colorectal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8391-8396
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• 2016

Thailand is becoming an aging society, this presenting as a serious problem situation especially regarding health. Chronic diseases found frequently in the elderly may be related to dietary intake and life style. Surin province has been reported as a risk area for liver fluke with a high incidence of cholangiocarcinma especially in the elderly. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the nutritional status and associated factors among elderly in Surin province, northeast of Thailand. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 405 people aged 60 years and above, between September 2012 and July 2014. The participants were selected through a randomized systematic sampling method and completed a pre-designed questionnaire with general information, food recorded, weight, height, waist circumference, and behavior regarding to food consume related to liver fluke infection. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. The majority of participants was female (63.5%), age between 60-70 years old (75.6%), with elementary school education (96.6%), living with their (78.9%), and having underlying diseases (38.3%). Carbohydrate (95.3%) was need to improve the consumption. The participants demonstrated under-nutrition (24.4%), over-nutrition (16.4%), and obesity (15.4%). Elderly had a waist circumference as the higher than normal level (34.0%). Gender, female, age 71-80 years old, elementary school and underlying diseases were significantly associated with poor nutritional status. The majority of them had a high knowledge (43.0%), moderate attitude (44.4%), and moderate practice (46.2%) regarding food consumption related to liver fluke infection. In conclusion, these findings data indicated that elderly age group often have an under- or over-nutritional status. Carbohydrate consumption needs to be improved. Some elderly show behavior regarding food consumption that is related to liver fluke infection hat needs to be improved, so that health education pertaining good nutrition is required.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.109-124
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• 2020

Using panel data on freight rates and ship prices in the dry freighter market from January 2015 to December 2019, this study investigates the characteristics of shipping industry fluctuations. The analysis aims at two aspects of academic contribution. First, this study analyzes the relationship between shipping indicators and ship price based on separate dry-bulk ships, while the previous research considered the overall shipping index and weighted average ship prices. Second, the VAR model for the causality test is extended to a heterogeneous mixed panel model capable of limiting coefficients. There is a peak estimated by removing the cross-correlation problem, which is mainly raised in panel data analysis, using bootstrap estimation and solving the problem of information loss due to differences in non-stationary data. An empirical investigation of the causal relationship between economic fluctuations and ship price shows that the effect on the ship price from the freight is significant at the 1% level. This implies that there is a one-way relationship with demand in the shipping industry rather than a bilateral relationship.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation of critical thinking disposition and problem solving process, and the simulation- based assessment of clinical competence based on a survey of college nursing students. Methods: In this descriptive correlation study, data for 214 nursing students were analyzed using t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Critical thinking disposition, problem solving process, and simulation-based assessment of clinical competence averaged $3.76{\pm}0.46$ (out of 5), $3.67{\pm}0.47$ (5), and $1.51{\pm}0.17$ (2), respectively. A significant difference in scores for simulation-based assessment of clinical competence was found between the high-scoring group and low-scoring group in critical thinking disposition. A significant positive correlation was found between critical thinking disposition and nursing assessment, a sub-domain of clinical competence. Conclusion: The results suggest that success in simulation-based learning requires critical thinking disposition in the nursing students, and their critical thinking disposition plays a positive role in nursing assessment, which evaluates the patient's status in a complex situation. Simulation-based learning programs help assess the students' levels in their clinical judgement and performance, and identify their strengths and weaknesses so that the instructor can evaluate and improve the current teaching method.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.24 no.8B
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• pp.1518-1531
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• 1999

The reconstructed images from highly compressed MPEG or H.263 data have noticeable image degradations, such as blocking artifacts near the block boundaries, corner outliers at cross points of blocks, and ringing noise near image edges, because the MPEG or H.263 quantizes the transformed coefficients of 8$\times$8 pixel blocks. A post-processing algorithm has been proposed by authors to reduce quantization effects, such as blocking artifacts, corner outliers, and ringing noise, in MPEG-decompressed images. Our signal-adaptive post-processing algorithm reduces the quantization effects adaptively by using both spatial frequency and temporal information extracted from the compressed data. The blocking artifacts are reduced by one-dimensional (1-D) horizontal and vertical low pass filtering (LPF), and the ringing noise is reduced by two-dimensional (2-D) signal-adaptive filtering (SAF). A comparison study of the subjective quality evaluation using modified single stimulus method (MSSM), the objective quality evaluation (PSNR) and the computation complexity analysis between the signal-adaptive post-processing algorithm and the MPEG-4 VM (Verification Model) post-processing algorithm is performed by computer simulation with several MPEG-4 image sequences. According to the comparison study, the subjective image qualities of both algorithms are similar, whereas the PSNR and the comparison complexity analysis of the signal-adaptive post-processing algorithm shows better performance than the VM post-processing algorithm.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.51-62
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• 1992

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the ratio of under-reported business income and related tax to that which is actually reported. The business income and tax are vulnerable to being under-reported. Information about the business income and thus income tax is private information. Without information costs, the tax agency cannot collect all the information about the business income and income tax. In Korea there are more than 600,000 proprietors. Therefore, the costs to investigate the accuracy of the taxpayes' reports are substantial. The tax agency sets a level over which proprietors should report income ratio to total sales, which induces the under-report. To estimate the ratio of under-reported tax, the expenditure method is employed. By this method, the under-reported income can be easily presumed based on expenditures since expenditures are closely related to income. First, the consumption function is estimated by using cross-section data of 1986-89. Generally, the estimation results show the expected sign of the coefficients of the explanatory variables such as income, wealth, and family size. Second, the extent of under-reported business income and related tax is estimated by using the estimation results. The estimated ratios of under-reported tax and income to the actual tax and income fall in the range of 13~39% and 8~25% respectively. This estimation confirms the increasing tendency of the tax detection ratio in previous studies. However, it should be noted that this study is not based on data of the tax report but those of the urban household survey. Therefore, there still remains the possibility that the ratio of under-reported tax could be underestimated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.689-695
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• 2012

The friction factor in a rod bundle and the loss coefficient at a spacer grid were examined. As a test section, 25 smooth rods, 9.5 mm in diameter and 2000 mm in length, were prepared and installed in a $5{\times}5$ square array in a square channel. In this case, the P/D (Pitch-to-Diameter ratio) was 1.35. In this work, plain (i.e., no mixing vanes), split-vane, and hybrid-vane spacer grids were tested. In a bare rod bundle (i.e., no spacer grid), the measured friction factors were in good agreement with the previous correlations. Among the spacer grids tested, the hybrid-vane spacer grid presented the largest friction factor in the rod bundle and loss coefficient. This may be because of the flow pattern change induced by large relative plugging of the flow cross section and mixing vane geometry. At Re=$5{\times}10^5$, the predicted loss coefficients of plain, splitvane, and hybrid-vane spacer grids were approximately 0.79, 0.80, and 0.88, respectively.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2017

In this paper, the wind tunnel test for the measurement of aerodynamic characteristics of transmission conductors with asymmetric sections is described. A single conductor model and bundled conductor models with ice accreted shapes are tested both in steady and turbulent flow, and the aerodynamic coefficients are acquired. Transmission conductor galloping is a kind of wind-induced vibration which is characterized by primarily vertical oscillation with a very low frequency and a high amplitude. It is well known that transmission conductor galloping is generally caused by moderately strong, steady winds when a transmission conductor has an asymmetric cross-section shaped by accreted ice. Galloping should be considered from the design stage of overhead lines because it can cause severe wear and fatigue damage to attachments as well as transmission conductors. It is reported that there have been normally 20 events of galloping per year in Korea, which may be followed by serious consequences in the electric power system. Therefore, this research is performed to measure aerodynamic characteristics of ice accreted transmission conductors to understand and control transmission conductor galloping so that it would help to prevent unexpected failures and reduce the maintenance costs caused by galloping.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2010

To predict changes in the marine environment of the Beolgyo Stream Estuary in Jeonnam Province, South Korea, where cohesive tidal flats cover a broad area and a large bridge is under construction, this study conducted numerical simulations involving tidal flow and cohesive sediment transport. A wetting and drying (WAD) technique for tidal flats from the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) was applied to a large-scale-grid hydrodynamic module capable of evaluating the flow resistance of structures. Derivation of the eddy viscosity coefficient for wakes created by structures was accomplished through the explicit use of shear velocity and Chezy's average velocity. Furthermore, various field observations, including of tide, tidal flow, suspended sediment concentrations, bottom sediments, and water depth, were performed to verify the model and obtain input data for it. In particular, geologic parameters related to the evaluation of settling velocity and critical shear stresses for erosion and deposition were observed, and numerical tests for the representation of suspended sediment concentrations were performed to determine proper values for the empirical coefficients in the sediment transport module. According to the simulation results, the velocity variation was particularly prominent around the piers in the tidal channel. Erosion occurred mainly along the tidal channels near the piers, where bridge structures reduced the flow cross section, creating strong flow. In contrast, in the rear area of the structure, where the flow was relatively weak due to the formation of eddies, deposition and moderated erosion were predicted. In estuaries and coastal waters, changes in the flow environment caused by artificial structures can produce changes in the sedimentary environment, which in turn can affect the local marine ecosystem. The numerical model proposed in this study will enable systematic prediction of changes to flow and sedimentary environments caused by the construction of artificial structures.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.957-968
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• 2007

It is essential to obtain accurate and highly reliable streamflow data for quantitative management for water resources. Thereafter such real-time streamflow gauging methods as ultrasonic flowmeter and index-velocity are introduced recently. Since these methods calculate flowrate through entire cross-section by measuring partial velocities of it, rational and theoretical basis are necessary for accurate estimation of discharge. The purpose of the present study lies in analysis on the applicability of Chiu#s(1987, 1988) two dimensional velocity distribution equations by applying them to natural rivers and by comparing simulated velocity distributions with observed ones obtained with ADCP. Maximum and mean velocities are calculated from observed data to estimate entropy parameter M. Such isovel shape parameters as h and $\beta_i$ are estimated by object function based on least squares criterion. In case optimized parameters are applied, Chiu#s velocity distributions fairly well simulate observed ones. By using 14 simulated data sets which have relatively high correlation coefficients, properties of parameters are analyzed and h, $\beta_i$ are estimated for velocity-unknown river sections. When estimated parameters are adopted for verification, simulated velocity distributions well reproduce real ones. Finally, calculated discharges display rough agreement with measured data. The results of the present study mean that if parameters related are properly estimated, Chiu#s velocity distribution is likely to reproduce the real one of natural rivers.