• Title/Summary/Keyword: Intensity measures

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Lifetime Physical Activity and Breast Cancer: a Case-Control Study in Kelantan, Malaysia

  • Yen, Siew Hwa;Knight, A;Krishna, MBV;Muda, WMW;Rufai, AA
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.8
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    • pp.4083-4088
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    • 2016
  • Background: Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality and is associated with increased breast cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Purpose: To examine the association between adult lifetime physical activity and breast cancer risk in a case-control analysis. Materials and Methods: This study involved 122 cases of breast cancer and 121 controls in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. A comprehensive measure of lifetime physical activity was used to assess occupational, household, and recreational/sports activity. For every type of activity, a metabolic equivalent (MET) score was assigned using the compendium of physical activities. MET-hours/week per year for all types of activities at different levels of intensities for different age groups were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios between various measures of physical activity and breast cancer risk. Conclusions: The mean MET-hours/week per year for all activities were 120.0 and 132.9 of MET-hours/week per year for cases and controls respectively. Household activities accounted for about 70% of the total lifetime physical activities. Only about 2.5% of the total lifetime physical activities were in the form of recreational/sports. This study found no association between lifetime occupational and recreational/sports physical activities with breast cancer risk among Kelantanese women. However, higher intensity lifetime household activities seemed to significantly reduce risk of breast cancer.

Development of Greenhouse Gas Estimation Method for a Local Government Level Using Traffic Demand Model

  • Maurillo, Pennie Rose Anne R.;Jung, Hyeon-Ji;Lee, Seon-Ha;Ha, Dong-Ik
    • The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.114-128
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    • 2013
  • Greenhouse gas emissions have been an important issue in different countries because of their effects on global warming. The government has to organize greenhouse gas reduction measures suitable to regional characteristics by establishing annual implementation plans and comprehensive policies based on the UNFCCC. The transportation sector is one of the major contributors of air pollution; hence increasing need to estimate current and future traffic emissions precisely. Under these circumstances, a number of emission models have been developed recently. However, current methods of estimation cannot carry out effective analyses because it does not reflect vehicle movement characteristics. This study aims to present a new method for calculating road traffic emissions in Goyang city. A travel demand model is utilized to carry out GHG emission estimates according the traffic data (fleet composition, vehicle kilometers travelled, traffic intensity, road type, emission factors and speed). This study evaluates two approaches to estimate the road traffic emissions in Goyang City: Pollution-Emis and the Handbook of Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA v.3.1) which is representative of the "average speed" and the "traffic situation" model types. The evaluation of results shows that the proposed emission estimation method may be a good practice if vigilant implementation of model inputs is observed.

A Magnetic Survey on the Lake for the Detection of the Unexploded Ordnances (위험물탐지를 위한 수상 자력탐사)

  • Jo Churl-hyun;Jung Yong Hyun;Lee Hyo Jin
    • Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.23-27
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    • 2003
  • A magnetic survey on the lake war carried out to explore the possible UXO (unexploded ordnance) under the water. A magnetic gradiometer with 2 magnetometer sensors was used, which measures total magnetic intensity. For the positioning of the measurement points on the water, RTK (real time kinematic) survey system was used. The theoretical responses were calculated assumming the dimension and the material of the UXO so that the detectability could be investigated. Since the areal size of the survey vessel was rather small, the influence from the magnetic material of the vessel and the other equipments such as a laptop computer was not negligible, and the influence did not remain constant during the survey due to the change of survey direction. These effects were reduced remarkably using moving average technique. The result reveals the lineament of a pipe line laid on the bottom of the lake, which can be regarded as an indirect proof of detectability of the method.

The Variations on The Fire Resistance of High Strength Concrete Column Incorporating Organic Fiber with Assessment Methods (유기 섬유 혼입 고강도 콘크리트 부재의 평가 방법에 따른 내화성능 변화에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Seung-Hoon;Park, Chan-Kyu
    • Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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    • 2008.11a
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    • pp.945-948
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    • 2008
  • Fire resistance is a measure of the ability of building element to resist a fire. For concrete columns, the fire resistance depends on many factors, including strength, density, and moisture content of concrete, fire intensity, column size and shape, reinforcement detail, loading condition, and aggregate type etc. However, it is well-known that the high strength concrete (HSC) is more susceptible to spalling than normal strength concrete (NSC) and the behaviour of HSC column exposed to fire is significantly affected by the spalling. Recently, as one of the measures to reduce the spalling of HSC, incorporating polypropylene(PP) fiber has been investigated and successfully used in construction fields. However, the establishment of assessment method on the fire resistance of HSC column is very important as well as the improvement of fire performance of HSC. In this study, the variations on the fire resistance of HSC column with assessment methods was studied for the columns controlled the concrete spalling by PP fiber.

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A Study on the Fabrication of Polarimetric Fiber Optic Current Sensor (편광측정법에 의한 광섬유 전류 센서 제작에 관한 연구)

  • Jang, Nam-Young;Chio, Pyung-Suk;Eun, Jae-Jeong;Park, Hae-Soo
    • Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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    • v.41 no.6
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    • pp.33-41
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    • 2004
  • In this paper, a polarimetric fiber optic current sensor(P-FOCS) is experimented and fabricated, and then a possibility to the commercial utilization of the P-FOCS is also investigated. The P-FOCS measures an applied current by a Faraday rotation linearly proportional to a magnetic field generated by the applied current. The bending-induced linear birefringence in the sensing fiber is minimized by using the low birefringent fiber. Also, all fiber-optic components are used to avoid optical losses coming from the use of bulk components. A signal processing circuit is constructed and used to eliminate the effects of intensity variations in the output signal due to losses coming from misalignments of components such as fiber connectors. Using the optical source of 632.8nm wavelength, Faraday rotation is measured by passing through the sensing fiber within the solenoid of about 1500 turns which is equivalent to a current source of about 7500A. In the range of 1000A to 7500A, the measurement error for linearity is within about 1.5%.

A Comparative Study of Item Difficulty Hierarchy of Self-Reported Activity Measure Versus Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks

  • Choi, Bong-Sam
    • Physical Therapy Korea
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.89-99
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    • 2013
  • The purposes of this study were: 1) to show the item difficulty hierarchy of walking/moving construct of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Activity Measure (ICF-AM), 2) to evaluate the item-level psychometrics for model fit, 3) to describe the relevant physical activity defined by level of activity intensity expressed as Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks (MET), and 4) to explore what extent the empirical activity hierarchy of the ICF-AM is linked to the conceptual model based on the level of energy expenditure described as MET. One hundred and eight participants with lower extremity impairments were examined for the present study. A newly created activity measure, the ICF-AM using an item response theory (IRT) model and computer adaptive testing (CAT) method, has a construct on walking/moving construct. Based on the ICF category of walking and moving, the instrument comprised items corresponding to: walking short distances, walking long distances, walking on different surfaces, walking around objects, climbing, and running. The item difficulty hierarchy was created using Winstep software for 20 items. The Rasch analyses (1-parameter IRT model) were performed on participants with lower extremity injuries who completed the paper and pencil version of walking/moving construct of the ICF-AM. The classification of physical activity can also be performed by the use of METs that is often preferred to determine the level of physical activity. The empirical item hierarchy of walking, climbing, running activities of the ICF-AM instrument was similar to the conceptual activity hierarchy based on the METs. The empirically derived item difficulty hierarchy of the ICF-AM may be useful in developing MET-based activity measure questionnaires. In addition to convenience of applying items to questionnaires, implications of the finding could lead to the use of CAT method without sacrificing the objectivity of physiologic measures.

Effect of Exercise on Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxic Activity in Breast Cancer Patients (운동 프로그램이 유방암 환자의 자연살해세포 활성에 미치는 효과)

  • Chae, Young-Ran;Choe, Myoung-Ae;Kim, Mi-Jung
    • Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.59-68
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    • 2002
  • The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise program on natural killer cell cytotoxic activity(NKCA) in breast cancer patients who had been radiation therapy after surgery. The subjects in the experimental group consisted of 11 breast cancer patients, while the subjects in the control group consisted of 15. Subjects in the experimental group participated in exercise program for 8 weeks. Exercise program consisted of shoulder stretching, arm weight training and treadmill walking exercise. They started to exercise on treadmill for 20 minutes per day, 3 times a week at 40% of maximum heart rate, and increased intensity and duration of exercise so that they were running 30 minutes/day at 60% of maximum heart rate from the 3rd week to the 8th week. Natural killer cell cytotoxic activity were determined before and after the exercise program. For measuring the natural killer cell cytotoxic activity, 8ml to 10ml blood was collected from the subjects. Mononuclear cell was isolated by centrifuge of the blood and cultured by putting $Cr^{51}$, and reacted with target cell, K562 cell. Baseline demographic and medical data were compared between groups with the Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test. For effects of the exercise program, repeated measures ANOVA was used. The result was as follows; Natural killer cell cytotoxic activity(NKCA) in experimental group comparing with control group significantly increased after the exercise program in case of effector cell : target cell ratio is 100 : 1(p<0.05). The above result suggest that the exercise program for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy after breast surgery may increase the natural killer cell cytotoxic activity.

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Motivating Underserved Vietnamese Americans to Obtain Colorectal Cancer Screening: Evaluation of a Culturally Tailored DVD Intervention

  • Lee, Hee Yun;Tran, Marie;Jin, Seok Won;Bliss, Robin;Yeazel, Mark
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.1791-1796
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    • 2014
  • Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death among Vietnamese Americans, yet screening remains underutilized. We investigated the effectiveness of a culturally tailored DVD intervention in promoting CRC screening among unscreened Vietnamese Americans age 50 and over. Materials and Methods: Using a community-based participatory research approach, we conducted a trial comparing twenty-eight subjects who received a mailed DVD in Vietnamese, with twenty-eight subjects who received a mailed brochure in Vietnamese. Subjects completed telephone surveys at baseline, One-month, and one-year. The primary outcome was receipt of screening. Secondary measures were participants' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about CRC screening. Two focus groups explored the intervention's acceptability and effectiveness. Results: At one year, CRC screening rates of 57.1% and 42.9% were observed in experimental and control group respectively (p=0.42), Subjects in both groups showed increased knowledge about CRC after one month. Focus group findings revealed that the DVD was an effective method of communicating information and would help promote screening. Conclusions: The findings suggest that culturally tailored, linguistically appropriate content is more important than the type of media used. This relatively low intensity, low cost intervention utilizing a DVD can be another useful method for outreach to the often hard-to-reach unscreened population.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated with Gait Changes among Firefighters after a Live Burn Training Evolution

  • Colburn, Deanna;Suyama, Joe;Reis, Steven E.;Hostler, David
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.183-188
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    • 2017
  • Background: Recommendations have been proposed for minimum aerobic fitness among firefighters but it is unclear if those criteria relate to performance on the fireground. Less fit individuals fatigue more quickly than fit individuals when working at comparable intensity and may have gait changes, increasing risk of falls. We evaluated the effect of fatigue during a live burn evolution on gait parameters and functional balance comparing them to aerobic fitness levels. Methods: A total of 24 firefighters had gait and balance tested before and after a live burn evolution. Data were stratified by aerobic fitness of greater/less than 14 metabolic equivalents (METs). Results: Analysis of gait cycles measurements before and after the live burn evolution revealed that single leg stance, cycle, and swing time decreased (p < 0.05) but there were no differences in the other measures. There were no differences in time to complete the functional balance test, or errors committed before or after a live burn evolution. When firefighters were sorted by fitness level of 14 METs, there were no differences for errors or time before or after the live burn evolution. Balance data were analyzed using a linear regression. Individuals with lower fitness levels required more time to complete the test. Conclusion: A 14-MET criterion failed to distinguish gait or balance characteristics in this group. However, less fit firefighters did require more time to complete the balance test (p = 0.003). Aerobic fitness alone does not predict gait changes among firefighters following a live burn evolution but does appear to influence functional balance.

Fabrication of Silicon Window for Low-price Thermal Imaging System (저가형 열영상 시스템을 위한 실리콘 윈도우 제작)

  • Sung, Byung Mok;Jung, Dong Geon;Bang, Soon Jae;Baek, Sun Min;Kong, Seong Ho
    • Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.264-269
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    • 2015
  • An infrared (IR) bolometer measures the change of resistance by absorbing incident IR radiation and generates a signal as a function of the radiation intensity. Since a bolometer requires temperature stabilization and light filtering except for the infrared rays, it is essential for the device to be packaged meeting conditions that above mentioned. Minimization of heat loss is needed in order to stabilize temperature of bolometer. Heat loss by conduction or convection requires a medium, so the heat loss will be minimized if the medium is a vacuum. Therefore, vacuum packaging for bolometer is necessary. Another important element in bolometer packaging is germanium (Ge) window, which transmits IR radiation to heat the bolometer. To ensure a complete transmittance of IR light, anti-reflection (AR) coatings are deposited on both sides of the window. Although the transmittance of Ge window is high for IR rays, it is difficult to use frequently in low-price IR bolometer because of its high price. In this paper, we fabricated IR window by utilizing silicon (Si) substrate instead of Ge in order to reduce the cost of bolometer packaging. To enhance the IR transmittance through Si substrate, it is textured using Reactive Ion Etching (RIE). The texturing process of Si substrate is performed along with the change of experimental conditions such as gas ratio, pressure, etching time and RF power.