• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.269-278
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• 2024

Objectives: The Chepang people, an indigenous ethnic group in Nepal, experience substantial marginalization and socioeconomic disadvantages, making their communities among the most vulnerable in the region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in the Chepang communities of Raksirang Rural Municipality, Makwanpur District, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to April 2023 among 231 Chepang women selected using simple random sampling from Raksirang Rural Municipality. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for interviewing the mothers. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Variables with a variation inflation factor of more than 2 and a p-value of more than 0.25 were excluded from the final model. Results: The study revealed that the prevalence rate of adolescent pregnancy among Chepang women was 71.4% (95% CI, 65.14 to 77.16). A large percentage of participants (72.7%) were married before the age of 18 years. Poor knowledge of adolescent pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 10.3; 95% CI, 8.42 to 14.87), unplanned pregnancy (aOR, 13.3; 95% CI, 10.76 to 19.2), and lack of sex education (aOR, 6.57; 95% CI, 3.85 to 11.27) were significantly associated with adolescent pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy among the Chepang community was high. These findings highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the potential consequences of adolescent pregnancy and implementing comprehensive sexuality education programs for preventing adolescent pregnancies within this community.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.19-38
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• 2024

This study investigated the information needs of prisoners and the adequacy of information resources in prison libraries in Anambra State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study. The population of the study was 1781 inmates in prisons in Anambra State. The sample size of 327 was selected using Taro Yamane's formula and proportionate stratified sampling techniques. Two instruments titled the Information Needs of Prisoners Questionnaire and the Adequacy of Information Resources Checklist were used for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experienced lecturers. One in the department of Educational Foundations (Measurement and Evaluation Unit) and two in the Department of Library and Information Science, all at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items, with a value of 0.79. The researchers administered the questionnaires with the help of four research assistants (correctional officers). Out of 327 questionnaires administered, 314 were successfully retrieved. The percentage return rate of distributed questionnaires is 96%. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of the mean; also, the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) guideline for library services to prisoners was also used as a yardstick for the measurement of adequacy. The results from the data analysis indicated that prisoners have diverse information needs that, when met, would help them during their stay in prison as well as when they are eventually released; these needs include legal information, information on prison rules, financial information, and others. While there were few information resources found to be adequate, the inadequacy of most of the listed information resources is recorded in prison libraries in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that information resources be made adequately available for prisoners in relation to their information needs.

• 한국운동역학회지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.53-62
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• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in kinematic factors according to stretching treatment, myofascial release treatment, and static stretching treatment conditions during squat. Method: Twelve males with resistance training experience participated in this study. Participants performed squats without treatment (Pre-Test), and performed squats after treatment with the myofascial release technique (MRT) and static stretching (SS) on different days (post-test). Squat movements were captured using eight motion capture cameras (sampling rate: 250 Hz), and the peak joint angles of the ankle, knee, hip, and pelvis were calculated for each direction. One-way repeated ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc analyses using SPSS 27 (IBM Corp. Armonk NY, USA) were used to compare the peak joint angle of the lower extremity joints and pelvis among the normal condition (squat without treatment), MRT condition (squat after MRT treatment) and SS condition (squat after static stretching). The statistical significance level was set at .05. Results: It was observed that the maximum ankle joint flexion angle during squats was statistically reduced under conditions of myofascial release and static stretching (p<.05), in comparison to the scenario where no stretching was performed. Furthermore, static stretching was found to enhance the maximum hip flexion angle during squat (p<.05), whereas the myofascial release stretching technique resulted in the minimal posterior pelvic tilt angle (p<.05). Conclusion: Employing myofascial release stretching as a preparatory exercise proved to be more efficacious in maintaining body stability throughout the execution of high-intensity squat movements by effectively managing the posterior tilt of the pelvis, as opposed to foregoing stretching or engaging in static stretching.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.83-90
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• 2024

Objectives: Professional firefighters face various health hazards and are required to maintain both physical and mental fitness to effectively mitigate crises and respond to emergencies. Moreover, the long working hours and shift work of this profession impact sleep quality. This study investigated the quality of sleep and its associated factors among firefighters in Bangkok, Thailand. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of firefighters affiliated with the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand between January 2023 and March 2023. A cluster random sampling technique was utilized to distribute 600 questionnaires to firefighters in 15 fire stations. The questionnaire addressed demographic, work-related, and environmental factors. Sleep quality was assessed using the Thai version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions were performed. Results: The response rate was 78.7% (n=472), and 44.1% of the firefighters reported poor sleep quality (PSQI score >5). Sleep quality was statistically associated with conflicting family relationships (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 2.9), additional part-time jobs (daytime, OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.4; or nighttime, OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 16.7), noisy sleeping areas (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.8), and the availability of adequate bedding (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.8 to 4.9). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality among firefighters was associated with various personal, work-related, and environmental factors. Organizations should promote policies that improve sleep quality through good sleep hygiene practices and facilities.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.119-128
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• 2024

Background: In pediatric dentistry, fear and anxiety are common among children. Local anesthetics (LA) are widely used to control pain and reduce discomfort in children during dental treatment. Topical anesthetics play a vital role in reducing pain and the unpleasant sensation of a needle puncture in children. Peppermint oil has been extensively used for various diseases. However, its anesthetic properties remain unknown. Peppermint oil, used in mouthwashes, toothpastes, and other topical preparations has analgesic, anesthetic, and antiseptic properties. This study aimed to compare and evaluate pain perception following the topical application of peppermint oil versus lignocaine spray before an intraoral injection in children, aged 8-13 years. Method: Fifty-two children, aged between 8-13 years, who required local anesthesia for dental treatment were divided into two groups of 26 each by simple random sampling (Group 1: 0.2% peppermint oil and Group 2: lignocaine spray). In both groups, physiological measurements (e.g., heart rate) were recorded using pulse oximetry before, during, and after the procedure. Objective pain measurement (Sound Eye Motor (SEM) scale) during administration and subjective measuremeant (Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPRS)) after LA administration were recorded. This was followed by the required treatment of the child. Physiological parameters were compared between the two groups using an independent t-test for intergroup assessment and a paired t-test and repeated-measures ANOVA for intragroup comparisons. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the pain scores. Results: Intragroup mean heart rates, before, during, and after treatment were statistically significantly different (P < 0.05). However, the intergroup mean pulse rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean WBFPS score in the lignocaine spray group was 4.133 ± 2.06 was statistically different from that of the peppermint oil group (0.933 ± 1.03; P < 0.001^*). The mean SEM score was significantly lower in the peppermint oil group than that in the lignocaine spray group (P = 0.006). No negative effects were observed in this study. Conclusion: 0.2% peppermint oil was effective in reducing pain perception.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.223-233
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• 2024

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has exacerbated the rate of tuberculosis (TB) infection among close contacts of TB patients in remote regions. However, research on preventive behaviors, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), among household contacts of TB cases is scarce. This study aimed to employ the HBM as a framework to predict TB preventive behaviors among household contacts of TB patients in the border areas of Northern Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study with multi-stage random sampling was conducted in Chiang Rai Province. The study included 422 TB patients' household contacts aged 18 years or older who had available chest X-ray (CXR) results. A self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct the survey. Results: The participants' mean age was 42.93 years. Pearson correlation analysis showed that TB preventive behavior scores were significantly correlated with TB knowledge (r=0.397), perceived susceptibility (r=0.565), perceived severity (r=0.452), perceived benefits (r=0.581), self-efficacy (r=0.526), and cues to action (r=0.179). Binary logistic regression revealed that the modeled odds of having an abnormal CXR decreased by 30.0% for each 1-point score increase in preventive behavior (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.61 to 0.79). Conclusions: HBM constructs were able to explain preventive behaviors among TB patients' household contacts. The HBM could be used in health promotion programs to improve TB preventive behaviors and avoid negative outcomes.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.364-374
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• 2024

Background/Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) using a 19-gauge needle is an efficient sampling method for the diagnosis of lymphadenopathy. This study compared 19-gauge conventional and Franseen needles for the diagnosis of lymphadenopathy and classification of malignant lymphoma (ML). Methods: Patient characteristics, number of needle passes, puncture route, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of cytology/histology for lymphadenopathy were analyzed in patients diagnosed with lymphadenopathy by EUS-FNA using conventional or Franseen needles. Results: Between 2012 and 2022, 146 patients met the inclusion criteria (conventional [n=70] and Franseen [n=76]). The median number of needle passes was significantly lower in the conventional group than in the Franseen group (3 [1-6] vs. 4 [1-6], p=0.023). There were no significant differences in cytological/ histological diagnoses between the two groups. For ML, the immunohistochemical evaluation rate, sensitivity of flow cytometry, and cytogenetic assessment were not significantly different in either group. Bleeding as adverse events (AEs) were observed in three patients in the Franseen group. Conclusions: Both the 19-gauge conventional and Franseen needles showed high accuracy in lymphadenopathy and ML classification. Considering sufficient tissue collection and the avoidance of AEs, the use of 19-gauge conventional needles seems to be a good option for the diagnosis of lymphadenopathy.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.2220-2238
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• 2024

As a typical active equipment, pump machinery is widely used in nuclear power plants. Although the mechanism of pump machinery in nuclear power plants is similar to that of conventional pumps, the safety and reliability requirements of nuclear pumps are higher in complex operating environments. Once there is significant performance degradation or failure, it may cause huge security risks and economic losses. There are many pumps mechanical parameters, and it is very important to explore the correlation between multi-dimensional variables and condition. Therefore, a condition monitoring model based on Deep Denoising Autoencoder (DDAE) is constructed in this paper. This model not only ensures low false positive rate, but also realizes early abnormal monitoring and location. In order to alleviate the influence of parameter time-varying effect on the model in long-term monitoring, this paper combined equidistant sampling strategy and DDAE model to enhance the monitoring efficiency. By using the simulation data of reactor coolant pump and the actual centrifugal pump data, the monitoring and positioning capabilities of the proposed scheme under normal and abnormal conditions were verified. This paper has important reference significance for improving the intelligent operation and maintenance efficiency of nuclear power plants.

• 농촌의학ㆍ지역보건
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.1-14
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• 2004

본 연구는 고령자들의 건강검진행동과 인구사회학적 및 일상생활습관의 여러 기본요인들과의 관련성에 대해서 사회적 배경이 다른 도시와 농촌지역간의 차이 및 남녀간의 차이를 검토하고자 하였다. 조사대상은 도시지역과 농촌지역으로 구분하여 층화집략무작위추출(stratified cluster random sampling)에 의하여 도시지역 236명, 농촌지역 228명 합계 464명을 추출하여 면접조사 하였다. 조사내용은 조사대상의 인구사회학적 특성, 일상생활승관, 주관적인 건강상태 및 의료이용상황, 청력, 시력 및 일상생활수행동작(ADL), 건강검진 수진여부 등을 조사하였다. 그 결과 조사대상자의 건강검진 수진율을 보면 도시지역은 남자가 54.5%, 여자가 46.9% 농촌지역은 남자가 59.8%, 여자가 42.7%로 도시 농촌 모두 남자가 여자보다 높은 수진율을 보였다. 남자에서의 수진자군은 비수진자군에 비해 자택 소요군, 비흡연군, 음주 중단군, 만성질환이 있는 군, 식생활습관이 좋은 군에서 높았다. 여자에서의 수진자군은 비수진자군에 비해 저연령군, 부부동거군, 자택소유군, 식생활습관이 좋은 군, 최근 3개월간 외래진료를 받은군, 건강에 대해 불안감을 갖고 있는군, 요실금이 있는 군에서 높았다. 지역별수진자군과 비수진자군의 차이는 연령, 가족유형, 현재하고 있는 일, 가게 월수입, 주택소유상황, 음주여부, 식생활습관, 관적인 건강상태, 최근 3개월간의 외래진료 유무, 건강에 대한 불안감 유무 IADL 상태 등이 항목에서 도시 농촌지역간에 유의한 차이를 보였다. 다변량회귀분석 결과 건강검진 수진행동에 영향을 미치는 요인으로는 도시지역의 경우 주택 소유여부, 단골의사 여부, 건망증 및 요실금 여부, 만성질환 유무 등이 선정되었으며 농촌지역의 경우는 단골의사 여부, 뇨실금 여부, 건강불안, 하력, 주택소유여부, 만성질환 유무 등이 선정되었다. 결론적으로 고령자들에서의 건강검진행동은 개인의 인구사회학적 특성에 따라 다양한 차이를 보이는 것은 물론, 이들의 일상생활습관, 주관적인 건강상태, 건강검진수진상황, 신체적 건강상태 및 ADL상태 등에 따라서도 많은 차이를 보이게 됨으로 향후 건강검진계획에는 이 같은 변수를 고려할 것이 요망되며, 또한 지역적인 특성을 고려할 필요가 있을 것으로 본다.

• 대한전자공학회논문지SD
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.75-85
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• 2009

본 논문에서는 two-carrier W-CDMA 응용과 같이 고해상도, 저전력 및 소면적을 동시에 요구하는 3G 통신 시스템 응용을 위한 13비트 100MS/s 0.13um CMOS ADC를 제안한다. 제안하는 ADC는 4단 파이프라인 구조를 사용하여 고해상도와 높은 신호처리속도와 함께 전력 소로 및 면적을 최적화하였다. 입력 단 SHA 회로에는 면적 효율성을 가지멸서 고속 고해상도로 동작하는 게이트-부트스트래핑 회로를 적용하여 1.0V의 낮은 전원 전압동작에서도 신호의 왜곡없이 Nyquist 대역 이상의 입력 신호를 샘플링할 수 있도록 하였다. 입력 단 SHA 및 MDAC에는 낮은 임피던스 기반의 캐스코드 주파수 보상 기법을 적용한 2단 증폭기 회로를 사용하여 Miller 주파수 보상 기법에 비해 더욱 적은 전력을 소모하면서도 요구되는 동작 속도 및 안정적인 출력 조건을 만족시키도록 하였으며, flash ADC에 사용된 래치의 경우 비교기의 입력 단으로 전달되는 킥-백 잡음을 줄이기 위해 입력 단과 출력 노드를 클록 버퍼로 분리한 래치 회로를 사용하였다. 한편, 제안하는 시제품 ADC에는 기존의 회로와는 달리 음의 론도 계수를 갖는 3개의 전류만을 사용하는 기준 전류 및 전압 발생기를 온-칩으로 집적하여 잡음을 최소화하면서 시스템 응용에 따라 선택적으로 다른 크기의 기준 전압 값을 외부에서 인가할 수 있도록 하였다. 제안하는 시제품 ADC는 0.13um 1P8M CMOS 공정으로 제작되었으며, 측정된 DNL 및 INL은 13비트 해상도에서 각각 최대 0.70LSB, 1.79LSB의 수준을 보이며, 동적 성능으로는 100MS/s의 동작 속도에서 각각 최대 64.5dB의 SNDR과 78.0dB의 SFDR을 보여준다. 시제품 ADC의 칩 면적은 $1.22mm^2$이며, 1.2V 전원 전압과 100MS/s의 동작 속도에서 42.0mW의 전력을 소모하여 0.31pJ/conv-step의 FOM을 갖는다.