• Korean Public Health Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.15-24
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• 2018

Objective : This study explores whether and how the amount of smoking differs by economic status and perception among the men in working age. Methods : The study utilized the 4th wave of KoWEPS containing the items on perception of economic conditions. Analysis was conducted on ever-married men aged 30-54, who have capacity to work. It used 2 stage regression model methods to examine the mediation effect of perception on economic status. Results : The results shows that the negative perception on economic status has a positive effect on smoking. Disposable income affects smoking only through the perception of economic status. Employment status exerts both direct and indirect effect on smoking. Conclusions : These findings imply that less privileged economic status is related to smoking through anxiety or stress for the negative perception on it.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.292-301
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• 2021

Objectives: Wearing medical masks has been recommended since the declaration of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) as a pandemic disease. Certified medical masks are evaluated according to filtration efficiency and facial inhalation resistance. However, some people use non-certified common masks. This study aimed to evaluate various non-certified commercial masks based on the certification criteria for medical masks. Methods: Twenty mask products (three anti-droplet, three disposable dental, eight fashion, three cotton, and three children's masks) were selected. For performance evaluation, filtration efficiency and facial inhalation resistance tests were conducted. The evaluation method followed the certification method for KF-certified masks of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the N95 respirator of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Results: None of the 20 masks met the KF94 certification standard set by the MFDS. Four and three masks respectively met the KF80 certification standard and the N95 standard of NIOSH. Filtration efficiency was significantly higher in three-layer masks than in single layer masks. Pleated-type masks had higher filtration efficiency than cone-type masks. There was no correlation between the structure of masks and facial inhalation resistance. Conclusion: While no masks complied with the KF94 certification standard, a few masks met the KF80 and the N95 certification standards of NIOSH. Although some people wear non-certified commercial masks, protection from aerosols is not guaranteed by such masks. Evaluation of the protection efficiency of non-certified mask against microbiological infection is needed for the prevention of infectious disease.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.607-612
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• 2021

This paper presents a novel CPW-fed UWB monopole paper antenna made by paper and copper tape. Through the simulation, the optimized antenna design parameters were obtained, and an antenna having an omni-directional radiation pattern and a gain of 2.2 dBi or more in the UWB frequency band of 3.1-10.6 GHz was designed. The antenna was manufactured using general A4 paper and copper tape, and the measurement result satisfies the return loss of -10dB or less in the UWB frequency band and confirm that the return loss characteristic was maintained even when the antenna plane was bent by 3 mm in the longitudinal direction. The proposed antenna is a wearable device that can provide services in the UWB band, and can be manufactured inexpensively by printing it with a conductive print on paper. So it can be used as a wearable antenna for UWB communication in various application fields such as logistics and disposable terminals.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.461-467
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• 2022

Sonobuoy is a disposable device that collects underwater acoustic information and is designed to transmit signals collected in a particular area to nearby aircraft or ships and sink to the seabed upon completion of its mission. In a conventional sonobouy signal transmission and reception system, collected signals are modulated and transmitted using techniques such as frequency division modulation or Gaussian frequency shift keying, and received and demodulated by an aircraft or a ship. However, this method has the disadvantage of the large amount of information to be transmitted and low security due to relatively simple modulation and demodulation methods. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a method that uses an autoencoder to encode a transmission signal into a low-dimensional latent vector to transmit the latent vector to an aircraft or ship and decode the received latent vector to improve signal security and to reduce the amount of transmission information by approximately a factor of a hundred compared to the conventional method. As a result of confirming the sample spectrogram reconstructed by the proposed method through simulation, it was confirmed that the original signal could be restored from a low-dimensional latent vector.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2022

Background: The present study investigated the radiation dose distribution of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) among surgeons and medical staff, and this is the first research to observe such exposure in Japan. Materials and Methods: The study subjects were an orthopedic surgeon (n = 1) and surgical staff (n = 9) who intervened in BKP surgery performed at the National Hospital Organization Disaster Medical Center (Tokyo, Japan) between March 2019 and October 2019. Only disposable protective gloves (0.022 mmPb equivalent thickness or less) and trunk protectors were used, and no protective glasses or thyroid drapes were used. Results and Discussion: The surgery time per vertebral body was 36.2 minutes, and the fluoroscopic time was 6.8 minutes. The average exposure dose per vertebral body was 1.46 mSv for the finger (70 ㎛ dose equivalent), 0.24 mSv for the lens of the eye (3 mm dose equivalent), 0.11 mSv for the neck (10 mm dose equivalent), and 0.03 mSv for the chest (10 mm dose equivalent) under the protective suit.The estimated cumulative radiation exposure dose of 23 cases of BKP was calculated to be 50.37 mSv for the fingers, 8.27 mSv for the lens, 3.91 mSv for the neck, and 1.15 mSv for the chest. Conclusion: It is important to know the exposure dose of orthopedic surgeons, implement measures for exposure reduction, and verify the safety of daily use of radiation during surgery and examination.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.153-160
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• 2023

Recently, interest in the environment and well-being is increasing due to changes in people's level of consciousness. Accordingly, it is trying to reduce disposable products, and interest in "water diet" is increasing as a way to maintain a healthy body. Many people use portable tumblers to drink water or drinks, and in particular, recently, they have evolved into a smarter form that provides various functions to increase user convenience. Existing studies have limited drinks to "water," so there is a limit to monitoring various drinks. To solve this problem, this paper produced a smart tumbler that can judge drinks using IoT technology and monitor the intake of drinks. In addition, it became possible to measure the intake more accurately by judging the case of throwing away the beverage without drinking it. Based on the data of various IoT-based sensors, the user can identify the intake amount of each drink in a dedicated application and receive various conveniences.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2022

Background: Injections are one of the most fear-provoking stimuli in dentistry. Painless administration of an injection is a vital step in alleviating anxiety, which in turn leads to good behavior in children. The aim is to evaluate and compare anxiety levels and pain perception using conventional, insulin, and deception syringes during the administration of local anesthesia in children. Methods: Forty-five children aged 6-12 were selected using a standard sample size formula and equally divided into three groups. Local anesthesia was administered using a conventional syringe to Group A participants and an insulin syringe for Group B participants. Group C participants were administered local anesthesia using a deception syringe by showing the patient disposable obturation tips, and eventually a conventional syringe was used for administration of local anesthesia after hiding them from the patient. Anxiety levels were assessed using Venham's Picture Scale and pulse rate at baseline and after administration of local anesthesia. The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale was used to assess pain perception after the administration of local anesthesia. Results: Insulin and deception syringes showed better reduction in anxiety levels and pain perception than conventional syringes, demonstrating a high statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The use of insulin and deception syringes for administration of anesthesia was demonstrated to be effective in alleviating anxiety in children and is therefore recommended as an alternative to conventional syringes.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.382-389
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• 2022

Objectives: The Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for sterile acupuncture needles was established in 2009 based on research on the quality control of acupuncture needles. We aimed to determine the quality of acupuncture needles available in South Korea in 2021 by examining their surface condition and chemical composition using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Methods: In South Korea, there are 23 brands of acupuncture needles, and we examined 10-15 needles from each brand, resulting in a total of 285 needles. The microstructures of the needles were assessed by SEM. Using SEM images, we evaluated the acupuncture needle tips for the following defects/aspects: scratches, lumps, detached coating, bent tip, and tip sharpness. EDS was used to determine the chemical composition of the selected acupuncture needles. Results: Overall, 88.4% of 285 needles were found to have at least one type of abnormality. The most frequently observed abnormalities were scratches and dents on the surface (68.1%), followed by detached coating (63.2%), and lumps (61.8%); blunt tips were observed in about 24% of them. Of 252 needles with at least one defect, 86.9% had two or more types of defects. The ratio of the number of needles with any defect to that of needles without any defect varied among brands, ranging from 50% to 100%. Regarding foreign materials, higher proportions of Si and O were observed on the needles, indicating incomplete or detached silicone coating. Conclusion: The quality of acupuncture needles varied among brands, suggesting that further improvements can be made through various inspection methods.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.501-507
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• 2022

PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), a representative plastic material, has useful physicochemical properties such as high durability and economic feasibility, and is used in various industrial fields such as bottles, fibers, and containers. Due to the recent increase in plastic usage including disposable products, eco-friendly strategy using microorganisms have drawn attention differentiated from conventional landfill and incineration methods. In this study, a soil-derived Streptomyces javensis Inha503 containing a PETase gene was selected and the ability to hydrolyze PU (Polyurethane) was confirmed through agar plate diffusion assay. This strain was cultured with PET for a month, and PET decomposition ability was also confirmed through a scanning electron microscope. Moreover, cloning and heterologous expression of S. javensis Inha503 PETase gene exhibited PET activity in the PETase non-containing S. coelicolor, confirming for the first time the presence of functional PETase gene in Streptomyces species.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.218-232
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was undertaken to identify the risk factors of genital infection by examining the genital hygiene practice followed by adult women of reproductive age. The results can be applied as basic data for health education and health management on female genital hygiene practices. Methods: Data ware collected by conducting an online survey, comprising 200 adult women of reproductive age. Genital infections according to genital hygiene practice were analyzed by simple logistic regression. Results: In this study, the Odds Ratio (OR) of genital infection occurrence of genital hygiene practices used were disposable briefs 4.11 (CI 1.79-9.39, p=0.020), feminine deodorant spray 3.13 (CI 1.37-7.15, p=0.007), deodorant, vaginal inserts (tabs/supp) 10.60 (CI 3.97-28.28, p<0.001), over the counter anti-itch products 3.73 (CI 1.67-8.34, p=0.001), blotting 11.47 (CI 4.62-28.48, p<0.001), natural sea sponge 4.98 (CI 2.04-12.15, p<0.001), reusable cotton pads 5.76 (CI 2.48-13.33, p<0.001), tampons 2.60 (CI 1.17-5.77, p=0.019), tampons/pads between periods 4.79 (CI 2.07-11.10, p<0.001) and tampons/pads combination 4.11 (CI 1.79-9.39, p=0.001) Conclusion: Our results indicated the necessity to refrain from unnecessary application of genital hygiene practices, which is highly related to genital infections identified in this study. There is a need to continue education for proper performance.