• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1675-1682
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• 2012

Aim: The study aim was to determine the frequency with which women decline clinicians' treatment recommendations and variations in this frequency by age, cancer and service descriptors. Design: The study included 36,775 women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer in 1998-2005 and attending Australian and New Zealand breast surgeons. Rate ratios for declining treatment were examined by descriptor, using bilateral and multiple logistic regression analyses. Proportional hazards regression was used in exploratory analyses of associations with breast cancer death. Results: 3.4% of women declined a recommended treatment of some type, ranging from 2.6% for women under 40 years to 5.8% for those aged 80 years or more, and with parallel increases by age presenting for declining radiotherapy (p<0.001) and axillary surgery (p=0.006). Multiple regression confirmed that common predictors of declining various treatments included low surgeon case load, treatment outside major city centres, and older age. Histological features suggesting a favourable prognosis were often predictive of declining various treatments, although reverse findings also applied with women with positive nodal status being more likely to decline a mastectomy and those with larger tumours more likely to decline chemotherapy. While survival analyses lacked statistical power due to small numbers, higher risks of breast cancer death were suggested, after adjusting for age and conventional clinical risk factors, (1) for women not receiving breast surgery for unstated reasons (RR=2.29; p<0.001); and (2) although not approaching statistical significance $p{\geq}0.200$), for women declining radiotherapy (RR=1.22), a systemic therapy (RR1.11), and more specifically, chemotherapy (RR=1.41). Conclusions: Women have the right to choose their treatments but reasons for declining recommendations require further study to ensure that choices are well informed and clinical outcomes are optimized.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.491-504
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• 2018

Because of sandwich structures with low weight and high stiffness have much usage in various industries such as civil and aerospace engineering, in this article, buckling and free vibration analyses of coupled micro composite sandwich plates are investigated based on sinusoidal shear deformation (SSDT) and most general strain gradient theories (MGSGT). It is assumed that the sandwich structure rested on an orthotropic elastic foundation and make of four composite face sheets with temperature-dependent material properties that they reinforced by carbon and boron nitride nanotubes and two flexible transversely orthotropic cores. Mathematical formulation is presented using Hamilton's principle and governing equations of motions are derived based on energy approach and applying variation method for simply supported edges under electro-magneto-thermo-mechanical, axial buckling and pre-stresses loadings. In order to predict the effects of various parameters such as material length scale parameter, length to width ratio, length to thickness ratio, thickness of face sheets to core thickness ratio, nanotubes volume fraction, pre-stress load and orthotropic elastic medium on the natural frequencies and critical buckling load of double-bonded micro composite sandwich plates. It is found that orthotropic elastic medium has a special role on the system stability and increasing Winkler and Pasternak constants lead to enhance the natural frequency and critical buckling load of micro plates, while decrease natural frequency and critical buckling load with increasing temperature changes. Also, it is showed that pre-stresses due to help the axial buckling load causes that delay the buckling phenomenon. Moreover, it is concluded that the sandwich structures with orthotropic cores have high stiffness, but because they are not economical, thus it is necessary the sandwich plates reinforce by carbon or boron nitride nanotubes specially, because these nanotubes have important thermal and mechanical properties in comparison of the other reinforcement.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.6 no.5_6
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• pp.461-480
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• 2010

This paper analyses the data collected from the $2^{nd}$ Jindo Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in Korea that is a structural health monitoring (SHM) international test bed for advanced wireless smart sensors network (WSSN) technology. The SHM system consists of a total of 70 wireless smart sensor nodes deployed underneath of the deck, on the pylons, and on the cables to capture the vibration of the bridge excited by traffic and environmental loadings. Analysis of the data is performed in both the time and frequency domains. Modal properties of the bridge are identified using the frequency domain decomposition and the stochastic subspace identification methods based on the output-only measurements, and the results are compared with those obtained from a detailed finite element model. Tension forces for the 10 instrumented stay cables are also estimated from the ambient acceleration data and compared both with those from the initial design and with those obtained during two previous regular inspections. The results of the data analyses demonstrate that the WSSN-based SHM system performs effectively for this cable-stayed bridge, giving direct access to the physical status of the bridge.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.97-108
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• 2024

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the online agricultural and food products market has experienced substantial expansion. This study aims to examine the factors influencing consumers' online purchasing behavior, their satisfaction levels regarding price and quality, the frequency of online transactions, and their future purchasing intentions concerning key short-term non-timber forest products. The analysis is based on survey responses obtained from 1,000 consumers across the nation. Results reveal that while online purchasing of non-timber forest products may not be as active compared to other sectors, various consumer behavior characteristics such as online purchase experience, socio-economic variables, online purchase dependency, and information utilization significantly influence purchasing decisions. These findings shed light on the understanding of consumer behavior through online platforms, particularly in non-timber forest products where analytical attempts have been relatively scarce compared to other agricultural products. The insights derived from this analysis could serve as fundamental data for understanding online consumption patterns, especially in sectors where research on consumer behavior remains limited. To expand the consumption of short-shelf-life perishable goods, which relatively have lower online consumption compared to other fresh agricultural products, it is necessary to conduct analyses that identify the socioeconomic characteristics and corresponding needs of consumers. Additionally, analyses should be conducted to explore the potential for developing and utilizing processed foods for online consumption. These analyses should be carried out in conjunction with an understanding the socio-economic characteristics identified in this study.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.78-94
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• 2005

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of various surface treatments by measuring resonance frequency and histomorphometric analyses. Material and methods. In 5 adult dogs, the mandibular premolar were extracted. Six months later, 30 screw titanium implants (Dentium Co., Seoul, Korea) 6mm in length and 3.4mm in diameter, were placed in the mandibles of 5 dogs. Implants were divided into five groups following to surface treatment methods ; Group 1 is machined controls, Group 2 is sandblasted with large grit and acid-etched (SLA), Group 3 is anodized (Autoelectric Co., Korea, 660Hz, Duty10), Group 4 is hydroxyapatite(HA) coated by ion beam assisted deposition(E-beam), Group 5 is hydroxyapatite(HA) coated with Sol-gel coating process. Resonance frequency was measured implant placement immediately, and 3, 6 weeks and 10 weeks of healing perods. With the animal subject's sacrifice 10 weeks after implantation, implants were removed on bloc and histologic and computer-based histomorphometric analyses were performed. Histomorphometric analysis involved quantification of the entire bone to metal contact around the implants. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS for Windows (ver. 9.0 SPSS Inc.) Statistical differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results. The results were as follows : 1) In five groups, mean value of resonance frequency analysis(RFA) were highest in group 5 (Sol-gel implant) at implantation and those of group 4 (E-beam)was highest at 10 weeks . but there was no correlation between surface treatments and RFA. 2) In all surface treatment groups, the RFA values of implants decreased until 3 weeks and increased to 10 weeks. 3) The percentage of direct bone-to-implant contact (BIC) had statistical significance between five groups in cancellous bone, (P<0.05) the percentage of bone density inside the thread had no statistical significance between five groups. (P>0.05) 4) There was a significant difference between cortical bone and cancellous bone in BIC. (P<0.05) and bone density. (P<0.05) 5) There was a correlation between the RFA value of implants at 10 weeks and BIC in cancellous bone, and between the RFA value of implants at 10 weeks and bone density in cortical bone. (P<0.05). Conclusions. These results indicate that surface treatment does not affect the implant stability in case of good bone quality.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2023

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different frequency on of knee extensors muscle function during electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). Method: In this research, 40 subjects who have no musculoskeletal disorder, and less than a year workout experience were recruited in order to analyze effects of EMS with different stimulus frequency. Forty subjects were randomly divided into four groups of ten subjects in each group. A EMS training program with different frequencies (without EMS [WE], EMS with frequency 30 Hz [E30], EMS with frequency 60 Hz [E60], EMS with frequency 90 Hz [E90]) was assigned to each group. Throughout eight weeks of training, test subjects were simultaneously carried out knee extension exercises such as squat, leg extension, and leg-press while using EMS with different frequency (20 min, pulse width 250 ㎲, on-off ratio 1:1). Isokinetic knee extension strength, muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF), the vastus medialis (VM), and the vastus lateralis (VL), and the median frequency of the RF, the VM, and the VL were collected and compared between pre and post training in order to find effects of applying EMS with different frequencies. For each dependent variable, a one-way ANOVA was to determine whether there were significant differences among four different conditions (p<.05). When a significant difference was found, post hoc analyses were performed using the contrast procedure. Results: When compared to WE and E90, E30 causes significant increase in isokinetic knee extension strength. No significant differences were found in EMG values across different EMS conditions. However, the median frequency of the VM in E30 was significantly increased than the corresponding value for WE. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that EMS training with 30 Hz frequency had positive effect on knee extensor. Based of the findings of the present study, EMS training with lower frequency may help the performer to focus on developing strength in knee extensor muscles.

• MALSORI
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• no.57
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• pp.73-84
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to explore the acoustic characteristics of sexy voice. In this study, we measured acoustic parameters (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and nasalance) of a sustained vowel sound produced by 40 actors (20 males and 20 females) and 40 non-actors (20 males and 20 females). Digital audio recordings were made in the sustained vowel |a| for acoustic analyses using Praat (version 4.1.9) and Nasal View (version 4.5). Twenty voice pathologists participated in the listening experiment and judged the degree of sexiness on a 7-point scale. The results showed that fundamental frequency, shimmer and nasalance had significant differences between actors and non-actors. The acoustic parameters of sexy voice matched perceptual aspects of a previous study: Low fundamental frequency-low pitch and high shimmer-husky voice. On the other hand, the nasalance score did not match that of the previous study: Decreased nasalance had a higher score on sexiness scale judged by the listeners. It would be desirable to study the voice quality by analyzing and controlling more acoustic and auditory parameters for practical applications in the future.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2010

This study deals with the viability of using a designed geometrical model consists of plane, polar coordinates (PC) and span length in the determination of bridges deformation. The data of a Tianjin Yonghe bridge located in the southern part of China as collected by RTK-DGPS technique and Accelerometer were used in the analysis. Kalman filter and fast Fourier transformation (FFT) analyses were used to determine the frequency. The results indicate that the designed plane and PC geometrical model are easy to calculate the long-time structural deformation monitoring. In addition, the observed frequency using GPS with the rate of 20 Hz doesn't give correction natural frequency of the observation structures.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

A new scheme for sliding-mode control (SMC) of DC-DC converters with a constant switching frequency is proposed. The scheme is based on the averaging model and the output signal of the controller is $d^+$ or $d^-$ instead of the on or off signal of a direct sliding-mode (SM) controller or the continuous signal d = $u_{eq}$ of an indirect SM controller. Two approaches using the new scheme are also proposed and the design procedures for a buck converter are given in detail. The first approach called constant $d^+$ and $d^-$ SMC is simple, cost effective and dynamically fast. In order to improve the dynamic characteristics of the reaching phase and to alleviate chattering, the second approach called reaching law SMC is also presented. Analyses and simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.217-232
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• 2000

In this study, I investigate the role of post-consonantal fundamental frequency (F0) as a cue for automatic distinction of types of Korean stops and affricates. Rather than examining data obtained by restricting contexts to a minimum to prevent the interference of irrelevant factors, a relatively natural speaker independent speech corpus is analysed. Automatic and statistical approaches are adopted to annotate data, to minimise speaker variability, and to evaluate the results. In spite of possible loss of information during those automatic analyses, statistics obtained suggest that vowel F0 is a useful cue for distinguishing manners of articulation of Korean non-continuant obstruents having the same place of articulation, especially of lax and aspirated stops and affricates. On the basis of the statistics, automatic classification is attempted over the relevant consonants in a specific context where the micro-prosodic effects appear to be maximised. The results confirm the usefulness of this effect in application for Korean phone recognition.