• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.1 s.52
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• pp.27-41
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• 1996

This study described methods to predict human health risk associated with exposure to environmental carcinogens using animal bioassay data. Also, biological assumption for various dose-response models were reviewed. To illustrate the process of risk estimate using relevant dose-response models such as Log-normal, Mantel-Bryan, Weibull and Multistage model, we used four animal carcinogenesis bioassy data of chloroform and chloroform concentrations of tap water measured in large cities of Korea from 1987 to 1995. As a result, in the case of using average concentration in exposure data and 95% upper boud unit risk of Multistge model, excess cancer risk(RISK I) was about $1.9\times10^{-6}$, in the case of using probability distribution of cumulative exposure data and unit risks, those risks(RISK II) which were simulated by Monte-Carlo analysis were about $2.4\times10^{-6}\;and\;7.9\times10^{-5}$ at 50 and 95 percentile, respectively. Therefore risk estimated by Monte-Carlo analysis using probability distribution of input variables may be more conservative.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.71-82
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• 2019

Purpose - This study aims to identify the priorities of medical service quality improvement by customer satisfaction characteristics and potential customer satisfaction improvement (PCSI) index based on the dualistic quality classification of Kano Model (1984) for Comprehensive Health Screeening Center in General Hospitals and Centers only for Comprehensive Health Screening and suggest a direction for future improvement. Research design, data, and methodology - Through advanced research on health screening medical service quality, this study set four service quality factors, including tangible, human, process and supportive factors, and 39 measurement items. Based on these items, the study used 117 questions, which consist of dualistic quality factors, customer satisfaction coefficients, positive and negative questions for PCSI index and questions for current satisfaction. 300 effective samples were collected for adults in their 20s who experienced health screening service in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Incheon within the past two years. Collected data were input in the quality evaluation duality table to categorize quality factors and calculate customer satisfaction coefficients by Timko(1993). The study also analyzed PCSI index in comparison with current satisfaction and identified priorities in quality improvement. Results - It was found that the most urgent factors to improve the quality in both groups were adequate waiting hours and emergency response for complications, which are process factors classified as unitary quality. It is urgently needed to improve the quality as the PCSI index was high in supportive factors (complaint response team) as attractive quality in Comprehensive Health Screening Center in General Hospitals and in process factors (prevention of infection) as unitary quality in Centers only for Comprehensive Health Screening. As the PCSI index was low in space use as a tangible factor, it was found that the current level can be maintained instead of improvement. Conclusions - To improve the health screening medical service quality, it is required to focus on process factors (adequate waiting hours, emergency response for complications, prevention of infection) and supportive factors (complaint response team) among service qualities perceived by users. It is proposed to ensure continuous efforts to manage and reinforce priorities as a direction for future improvement in health screening service.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.307-318
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• 2019

The frequently excessive vibrations presented in civil structures during seismic events or service conditions may result in users' discomfort, or worst, in structures failure, producing economic and even human casualties. This work contributes in proposing the synthesis of a nonlinear optimal control strategy for semiactive structural control, with the main characteristic that the synthesis considers both the structure model and the semiactive actuator nonlinear dynamics, which produces a nonlinear system that requires a nonlinear controller design. The aim is to reduce the unwanted vibrations in the response of civil structures, by means of intelligent fluid semiactive actuator such as the Magnetorheological Damper (MRD), which is a device with a low level of power consumption. The civil structures for which the proposed control methodology can be applied are those admitting a state-dependent coefficient factorized representation model, such as buildings, bridges, among others. A scaled model of a three storey building is analyzed as a case study, whose dynamical response involves displacement, velocity and acceleration of each one of the storeys, subjected to the North-South component of the September 19th., 2017, Puebla-Morelos (7.1M), Mexico earthquake. The investigation rests on comparing the structural response over time for two different conditions: with no control device installed and with one MRD installed between the first floor and the ground, where a nonlinear optimal signal for the MRD input voltage is determined. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller for reducing the building's dynamical response.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.305-311
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• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship nursing personal and workplace system factors (work disability) and work ability index scores in Ontario, Canada. Methods: A total of 111 registered nurses were randomly selected from the total number of registered nurses on staff in the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum areas of four northeastern Ontario hospitals. Using a stratified random design approach, 51 participants were randomly selected in four northeastern Ontario cities. Results: A total of 51 (45.9% response rate) online questionnaires were returned and another 60 (54.1% response rate) were completed using the paper format. The obstetric workforce in northeastern Ontario was predominately female (94.6%) with a mean age of 41.9 (standard deviation = 10.2). In the personal systems model, three variables: marital status (p = 0.025), respondent ethnicity (p = 0.026), and mean number of patients per shift (p = 0.049) were significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the workplace system model, job and career satisfaction (p = 0.026) had a positive influence on work ability scores, while work absenteeism (p = 0.023) demonstrated an inverse relationship with work ability scores. In the combined model, all the predictors were significantly related to work ability scores. Conclusion: Work ability is closely related to job and career satisfaction, and perceived control at work among obstetric nursing. In order to improve work ability, nurses need to work in environments that support them and allow them to be engaged in the decision-making processes.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.64-80
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• 1991

The SKINTEX Method is based on a two-compartment physico-chemical model which includes a Biomembrane Barrier in compartment one and an organized macromolecular matrix in compartment two. Test samples absorb onto or permeate through the keratin/collagen Biomembrane Barrier and then can interact with the organized macromolecular matrix. Changes in the integrity of the barrier release a dye indicator: Changes in the matrix can alter its transparency. The sum of these two responses is read spectrophotometrically at 470nm. An early investigation of 950 chemicals and formulations in the SKINTEX System produced results which were 89% concordance to in vivo Draize dermal irritation results obtained with 24-hour occluded application of test samples with-out abrasion and standard scoring. Alkaline materials were analyzed in a specialized SKINTEX AMA Protocol. In this early study, the model did not distinguish nonirritant test materials and formulation with PDII(Primary Dermal Irritation Index)in the range from 0 to 1.2, A High Sensitivity Assay Protocol(HSA)was developed to amplify the changes in both compartments of this model and provide more accurate calibration of these changes. A study of 60 low irritation test samples including cosmetics, household products, chemicals and petro-chemicals distinguished nonirritants with PDII $\leq$ 0.7 for 26 of 30 nonirritants. A second protocol was developed to evaluate the SKINTEX model predictability with respect to human irritation. The Human Response Assay (HRA )has been optimized based on differences in penetration and irritation responses in humans and rabbits. An additional 32 test materials with different mechanisms and degrees of dermal toxicity were evaluated by the HRA. These in vitro results were 86% concordant to human patch test results. In order to further evaluate this model, a Standard Chemical Labelling (SCL) Protocol was developed to optimize this system to predict Draize dermal irritation results after a 4-hour application of the test material. In a study of 52 chemicals including acids, bases, solvents, salts, surfactants and preservatives, the SCL results demonstrated 85% concordance to Draize results for a 4-hour application of test samples on non-abraded rabbit skin. The SKINTEX System, including three specialized protocols, provided results which demonstrated good correlation to the endpoint of dermal irritation in man and rabbits at different application times.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1527-1532
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• 2016

Strain SPF4211, having hyaluronidase (HAase) inhibition activity, was isolated from P. davidiana (Carriere) Franch fruit (PrDF) sugar extract. The phenotypic and biochemical properties based on 16S rDNA sequencing and an API 50 CHB kit suggested that the organism was B. subtilis. To optimize the HAase inhibition activity of PrDF extract by fermentation of strain SPF4211, a central composite design (CCD) was introduced based on three variables: concentration of PrDF extract (X₁: 1-5%), amount of starter culture (X₂: 1-5%), and fermentation time (X₃: 0-7 days). The experimental data were fitted with quadratic regression equations, and the accuracy of the equations was analyzed by ANOVA. The statistical model predicted the highest HAase inhibition activity of 37.936% under the optimal conditions of X₁ = 1%, X₂ = 2.53%, and X₃ = 7 days. The optimized conditions were validated by observation of an actual HAase inhibition activity of 38.367% from extract of PrDF fermented by SPF4211. These results agree well with the predicted model value.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.391-404
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• 2020

Human-induced vibration could present a serious serviceability problem for large-span and/or lightweight floors using the high-strength material. This paper presents the results of heel-drop, jumping, and walking tests on a large-span composite steel rebar truss-reinforced concrete (CSBTRC) floor. The effects of human activities on the floor vibration behavior were investigated considering the parameters of peak acceleration, root-mean-square acceleration, maximum transient vibration value (MTVV), fundamental frequency, and damping ratio. The measured field test data were validated with the finite element and theoretical analysis results. A comprehensive comparison between the test results and current design codes was carried out. Based on the classical plate theory, a rational and simplified formula for determining the fundamental frequency for the CSBTRC floor is derived. Secondly, appropriate coefficients (β_rp) correlating the MTVV with peak acceleration are suggested for heel-drop, jumping, and walking excitations. Lastly, the linear oscillator model (LOM) is adopted to establish the governing equations for the human-structure interaction (HSI). The dynamic characteristics of the LOM (sprung mass, equivalent stiffness, and equivalent damping ratio) are determined by comparing the theoretical and experimental acceleration responses. The HSI effect will increase the acceleration response.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.14-18
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• 2006

The role of dialogue manager is to select proper actions based on observed environment and inferred user intention. This paper presents stochastic model for dialogue manager based on Markov decision process. To build a mixed initiative dialogue manager, we used accumulated user utterance, previous act of dialogue manager, and domain dependent knowledge as the input to the MDP. We also used dialogue corpus to train the automatically optimized policy of MDP with reinforcement learning algorithm. The states which have unique and intuitive actions were removed from the design of MDP by using the domain knowledge. The design of dialogue manager included the usage of natural language understanding and response generator to build short message based remote control of home networked appliances.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.433-439
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• 2021

Acellular dermal matrices (ADM) are a novel graft. The goal of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence behind differences in human and porcine ADM, irrelevant of manufacturing method, and to determine if there is enough of an evidence base to change clinical practice. An extensive literature search was performed through MEDLINE and Embase with search terms defining a population, intervention and outcome. Title and abstract exclusion were performed with other exclusion criteria. In 191 articles were found after exclusion of duplicates, with only 29 remaining following exclusions. Ten studies were found to have level I and II evidence (I=3, II=8), of which two were histopathological, one was an animal model, one was a systematic review, and six were clinical. The remaining studies were reviewed and considered for discussion, but did not hold high enough standards for medical evidence. Strong clinical evidence already exists for the use of human ADM, but questions of access, cost, and ethics require consideration of a xenograft. Histopathologically, evidence suggests minimal long-term differences between human and porcine ADM, although there is a short acute immune response with porcine ADM. Clinically, there is limited difference in outcomes, with a small range in effect of different ADM preparations. Considering the effectiveness of ADM in wound healing, more high-level research with appropriate statistical analysis to facilitate a future meta-analysis is recommended to justify a transition from human to porcine ADM.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.519-535
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• 1997

The responses of human pulp fibroblastic cells to Ga-As Semi-Conductor-Dens-Bio Laser (Frequency: 5 Hz~10,000 Hz Model: SD-101A RCA, U.SA)) were examined in vitro using pulp fibroblastic cells obtained from the pulp tissue of human tooth. The mitogenic effect of soft laser was assessed by measuring the MTT assay. The morphologic effect for soft laser showed under the scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results as follows; 1. The mitogenic response of the soft laser was not observed until 4th time of radiation, while the mitogenic response at 4th time increased mitogenic effect by as much as 1.7 fold compared to the control value. 2. The mitogenic response of the soft laser on pulp fibroblast differ from the mitogenic response on other fibroblasts. 3. In scanning electron microscopic study, The microvilli of cell surface increased gradually with width and length after laser radiation, it demonstrate that development of microvilli have close connection with differentiation of cells. 4. Under the transmission electron microscope, The laser-treated cells maintained their elongated shape and a high degree of cellular polarization. The large cell body containing a well developed Golgi complex, a large number of profiles of rough endoplasmic reticulum, and great numbers of mitochondria. 5. The laser-treated cells maintained the long straight bundles of closely apposed microfilaments or individual filaments forming a cross-linked network. These findings suggest that the laser may have important roles in promotion of pulp healing and consequently may be useful for clinical application in pulp regenerative procedures.