• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2020

Objectives : To investigate aggravating and mitigating factors of atopic dermatitis and to utilize the outcome in treatment planning. Methods : The research has a cross-sectional study design. Patients' SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) Index, demographic, physical characteristics, social history, serologic index and skin related instrumental measurements were analyzed with correlation and regression analysis method. Results : 48 patients in total were enrolled in the study. Skin Surface Hydration (SSH) and sex were found to be statistically significant aggravating and mitigating factors. As SSH increased, Total SCORAD (tSCORAD) and Objective SCORAD (oSCORAD) increased as well. As SSH decreased, tSCORAD and oSCORAD decreased as well. Female patient had a higher probability of suffering from severer subjective symptoms than that of male. Age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption and smoking, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IFN-γ were found not to be statistically significant. There was no correlation between Subjective SCORAD (sSCORAD) and oSCORAD neither with Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Conclusions : Increasing cutaneous moisture should be included in the treatment plan of atopic dermatitis. More emphasis should be put on alleviating subjective discomforts of female patients than that of male. Establishing separate strategies of managing objective eczema status and subjective discomforts respectively should be considered.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.379-387
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• 2017

As the average load factor of High-Speed Rail (HSR) trains increased up to 98%, it caused uncomfortable crowdedness in the cabin and deteriorated the level of service to the HSR users. In this paper, we estimated the willingness-to-pay (WTP) of the HSR users for mitigating the crowdedness in the cabin. The contingent valuation method based on the stated preference data was used and the tobit model was applied for the estimation of WTP. It can be concluded that WTP for mitigating the crowdedness in the HSR trains is proportional to the congestion level of train and income level of user. Males, first-class users, not-assigned ticket users, and monthly pass users have relatively higher WTPs, while homemakers, travelers in weekends, commuters and leisure travelers have relatively lower values. The results can provide the fundamental information to estimate the benefits of mitigating crowdedness or the magnitude of governmental subsidy to railway operators for additional introduction of HSR trains.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate life stressors and mitigating factors affecting suicide ideation amongst university students in Korea. Methods: Study participants were recruited online from one of the universities in Seoul. The total of 794 samples were included in the final dataset. First, correlation analyses were performed among life stressors, depression and mitigating factors. Second, factorial analysis was conducted to explore different dimensions of he life stressors experienced by the university students. Finally, we used logistic regression to find out the relationship between university students' sub-stressors or mitigating factors, and suicide ideation. Results: Three sub-stressors were identified - interpersonal relationship stress, academic stress and economic stress. All of these stressors were significantly associated with suicide ideation. However, none of them significantly predicted suicide ideation controlling for depression. All mitigating factors - health related behaviors, social support and leisure activities - were statistically significant and negatively related to depression, yet only social support had a significantly negative association with suicide ideation. Conclusions: In conclusion, Social support is the most important factor which may affect suicide ideation among university students in Korea.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1272-1278
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Kyung Hee Allergic Disease Herbal Formula (KAHF) on atopic dermatitis (AD) and its mode of action. Our clinical study showed KAHF reduced Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) indexes and subjective symptom scores. In parallel, the decreased levels of interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$ and interleukin (IL)-5 in serum, which contributed to its AD-mitigating effect was observed. To reveal the underlying mechanisms of KAHF in AD, its anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced responses in RAW 264.7 cells was examined. KAHF was found to significantly inhibit the productions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), and IL-$1{\beta}$ in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Consistently, KAHF potently inhibited protein and mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Furthermore, KAHF inhibited LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor (NF)-$\kappa}B$. Taken together, our data suggest that KAHF has a beneficial effect on several eicosanoid-related skin inflammations, such as atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of KSNVE
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.700-705
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• 1998

Recent past work has demonstrated that hydraulic semiactive vibration absorbers hold the promise of providing an ideal means of mitigating structural vibration. This paper examines a factor that must be treated when designing a hydraulic semiactive vibration absorber for application to a full scale structure; fluid compressibility. An expanded and consistent dynamic model of the flow process is first established. A simple feedback control is then tested on a single degree of freedom laboratory structure to verify the findings.

• KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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• v.5B no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2005

The ability to provide quality power has become a significant issue in power systems. The main causes of poor power quality are harmonic currents, poor power factor, supply-voltage variations, etc. A technique of achieving both active current distortion compensation, power factor correction and also mitigating the supply-voltage variation (sag or swell) at the load side is presented in this paper. The operation and rating issues of the proposed Single-phase Unified Power Quality Conditioner are also highlighted. To reduce the total cost while simultaneously increasing the performance, the system is fully digitally controlled using the fixed-point TMS320F240 digital signal processor. The performances of the UPQC, which is composed by shunt and series PWM controlled-converters, have been verified on a laboratory prototype.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.261-284
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• 2019

This paper explores the ramifications of international outsourcing on unemployment, income distribution and welfare, which is an important but yet unresolved issue. Using the well-known Harris-Todaro (1970) model of sector-specific unemployment, it shows that the effects of outsourcing on employment, income-distribution and welfare depend on the sector in which the outsourcing occurs, whereby sectoral factor intensities, unemployment-outsourcing response and the dynamic stability condition play crucial roles. In particular, outsourcing in the manufacturing (primary) sector widens (narrows) income inequality by increasing (decreasing) the sectoral wage gap and raising (not affecting) the rental income of the capital owners in the economy. Moreover, outsourcing in the manufacturing (primary) sector can be welfare-decreasing (is always welfare-increasing) due to its negative (positive) employment effect mitigating (reinforcing) the primary gains from the outsourcing.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.477-491
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to develop urban planning for mitigating thermal comfort by analyzing the relationship between various physical environmental factors and radiation fluxes focused on urban areas of Changwon city, Gyeongsangnam-do. Physical environmental factors were analyzed by sky view factor (SVF), land cover and land use types using GIS program. Radiation fluxes were measured upward and downward in solar and terrestrial radiation by mobile measurement during 3 days (2 daytime and 1 nighttime) in summer season. SVF is high in urban park less around buildings. High dense building sites were low. Downward solar radiation fluxes were the highest about $700W/m^2$ at daytime, and decreased in spatial type arranged dense buildings. Upward solar and terrestrial radiations was affected by land cover types that have thermal features such as reflectivity, emissivity, and heat capacity. Therefore, urban space needs appropriate planning with building arrangement, green walls and land cover replacement for mitigating thermal comfort in urban area.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 2017

Streptococcus pneumoniae, pneumococcus, is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). CAP is an important infectious disease with high morbidity and mortality, and it is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Many genetic factors of the host and various environmental factors surrounding it have been studied as important determinants of the pathophysiology and outcomes of pneumococcal infections. Various cytokines, including transforming growth factor $(TGF)-{\beta}1$, are involved in different stages of the progression of pneumococcal infection. $TGF-{\beta}1$ is a cytokine that regulates a wide range of cellular and physiological functions, including immune and inflammatory responses. This cytokine has long been known as an anti-inflammatory cytokine that is critical to preventing the progression of an acute infection to a chronic condition. On the other hand, recent studies have unveiled the diverse roles of $TGF-{\beta}1$ on different stages of pneumococcal infections other than mitigating inflammation. This review summarizes the recent findings of the role of $TGF-{\beta}1$ on the pathophysiology of pneumococcal infections, which is fundamental to developing novel therapeutic strategies for such infections in immune-compromised patients.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.603-622
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• 2008

This work deals with the design optimization of tuned mass damper (TMD) devices used for mitigating vibrations in high-rise towers subjected to seismic accelerations. A stochastic approach is developed and the excitation is represented by a stationary filtered stochastic process. The effectiveness of the vibration control strategy is evaluated by expressing the objective function as the reduction factor of the structural response in terms of displacement and absolute acceleration. The mechanical characteristics of the tuned mass damper represent the design variables. Analyses of sensitivities are carried out by varying the input and structural parameters in order to assess the efficiency of the TMD strategy. Variations between two different criteria are also evaluated.