• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 2024

Purpose: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) who undergo dental procedures during radiotherapy (RT) face an increased risk of developing osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Accordingly, new tools must be developed to extract critical information regarding the dose delivered to the teeth and mandible. This article proposes a novel approach for visualizing 3-dimensional planned dose distributions on panoramic reconstruction computed tomography (pCT) images. Materials and Methods: Four patients with HNC who underwent volumetric modulated arc therapy were included. One patient experienced ORN and required the extraction of teeth after RT. In the study approach, the dental arch curve (DAC) was defined using an open-source platform. Subsequently, pCT images and dose distributions were generated based on the new coordinate system. All teeth and mandibles were delineated on both the original CT and pCT images. To evaluate the consistency of dose metrics, the Mann-Whitney U test and Student t-test were employed. Results: A total of 61 teeth and 4 mandibles were evaluated. The correlation coefficient between the 2 methods was 0.999, and no statistically significant difference was observed (P>0.05). This method facilitated a straightforward and intuitive understanding of the delivered dose. In 1 patient, ORN corresponded to the region of the root and the gum receiving a high dosage (approximately 70 Gy). Conclusion: The proposed method particularly benefits dentists involved in the management of patients with HNC. It enables the visualization of a 3-dimensional dose distribution in the teeth and mandible on pCT, enhancing the understanding of the dose delivered during RT.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2024

Background: Results of studies investigating the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been conflicting. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective observational study, conducted between January 2020 and August 2021, evaluated the impact of obesity on outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 in a Korean national cohort. A total of 1,114 patients were enrolled from 22 tertiary referral hospitals or university-affiliated hospitals, of whom 1,099 were included in the analysis, excluding 15 with unavailable height and weight information. The effect(s) of BMI on patients with severe COVID-19 were analyzed. Results: According to the World Health Organization BMI classification, 59 patients were underweight, 541 were normal, 389 were overweight, and 110 were obese. The overall 28-day mortality rate was 15.3%, and there was no significant difference according to BMI. Univariate Cox analysis revealed that BMI was associated with 28-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.96; p=0.045), but not in the multivariate analysis. Additionally, patients were divided into two groups based on BMI ≥25 kg/m² and underwent propensity score matching analysis, in which the two groups exhibited no significant difference in mortality at 28 days. The median (interquartile range) clinical frailty scale score at discharge was higher in nonobese patients (3 [3 to 5] vs. 4 [3 to 6], p<0.001). The proportion of frail patients at discharge was significantly higher in the nonobese group (28.1% vs. 46.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The obesity paradox was not evident in this cohort of patients with severe COVID-19. However, functional outcomes at discharge were better in the obese group.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.167-182
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• 2022

Sedation can resolve anxiety and fear in patients undergoing endoscopy. The use of sedatives has increased in Korea. Appropriate sedation is a state in which the patient feels subjectively comfortable while maintaining the airway reflex for stable spontaneous breathing. The patient should maintain a state of consciousness to the extent that he or she can cooperate with the needs of the medical staff. Despite its benefits, endoscopic sedation has been associated with cardiopulmonary complications. Cardiopulmonary complications are usually temporary. Most patients recover without sequelae. However, they may progress to serious complications, such as cardiovascular collapse. Therefore, it is essential to screen high-risk patients before sedation and reduce complications by meticulous monitoring. Additionally, physicians should be familiar with the management of emergencies. The first Korean clinical practice guideline for endoscopic sedation was developed based on previous worldwide guidelines for endoscopic sedation using an adaptation process. The guideline consists of nine recommendations based on a critical review of currently available data and expert consensus when the guideline was drafted. These guidelines should provide clinicians, nurses, medical school students, and policy makers with information on how to perform endoscopic sedation with minimal risk.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.206-230
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• 2024

Background: The advancement of information and communication technology acts as a key driver in the implementation of smart cities. Smart Public Facilities leverage this technological progress to innovate urban operations, optimizing various city functions, enhancing the quality of public services, and improving citizens' accessibility and convenience. These Smart Public Facilities are introduced for the sustainable development of cities and the enhancement of citizens' quality of life. Method: This study systematically analyzed the public design policies of local governments and examined the use cases of Smart Public Facilities domestically and internationally to evaluate their functions and roles. Through this, the effectiveness and sustainability of public design policies were comprehensively reviewed, and the impact of Smart Public Facilities on urban operations and citizens' lives was analyzed from multiple perspectives. Results: The introduction of Smart Public Facilities significantly enhances the implementation and efficiency of public design policies, playing a crucial role in sustainable urban development and improving citizens' quality of life. Furthermore, positive impacts were observed in various areas such as energy management, transportation systems, and environmental monitoring. Major challenges included managing technological changes, ensuring data privacy and cybersecurity, and strengthening citizen participation. Conclusion: Smart Public Facilities serve as essential infrastructure for improving urban efficiency, sustainability, and citizens' quality of life. Successful implementation and operation require systematic management and citizen participation. Through this, Smart Public Facilities will support sustainable urban development and play a critical role in responding to environmental changes. To ensure that Smart Public Facilities function effectively as urban infrastructure, it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate their impact on the efficiency of public design policies, sustainability, citizens' quality of life, and the local economy, and to suggest concrete measures for their introduction and operation.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.309-318
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• 2024

Background: Sleep disorders in menopausal women can act as a factor that lowers the quality of life. This study aims to understand the effects of mental health, such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and stress, on sleep duration in menopausal women to contribute to the management of their mental health. Methods: Using data from the 2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we conducted a study on 549 naturally menopausal women aged 50-64 years. We applied frequency and weighted percentages, Rao-Scott chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Results: It was found that women with a university degree or higher had appropriate sleep duration (odds ratio [OR], 0.33; p=0.004). Women with mild depression were less likely to have appropriate sleep compared to those without depression (OR, 2.13; p=0.025). Additionally, women who experienced high levels of stress were less likely to have appropriate sleep compared to those with minimal stress (OR, 2.73; p=0.041). Conclusion: Depression and stress are related to sleep duration, and these mental health issues can lead to physiological problems due to their complex experiences. Therefore, individual attention and management of mental health are crucial, and it seems necessary to develop community-based treatment and prevention strategies.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.87-109
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• 2020

Currently, thanks to the major stride made in developing wired and wireless communication technology, a variety of IT services are available on land. This trend is leading to an increasing demand for IT services to vessels on the water as well. And it is expected that the request for various IT services such as two-way digital data transmission, Web, APP, etc. is on the rise to the extent that they are available on land. However, while a high-speed information communication network is easily accessible on land because it is based upon a fixed infrastructure like an AP and a base station, it is not the case on the water. As a result, a radio communication network-based voice communication service is usually used at sea. To solve this problem, an additional frequency for digital data exchange was allocated, and a ship ad-hoc network (SANET) was proposed that can be utilized by using this frequency. Instead of satellite communication that costs a lot in installation and usage, SANET was developed to provide various IT services to ships based on IP in the sea. Connectivity between land base stations and ships is important in the SANET. To have this connection, a ship must be a member of the network with its IP address assigned. This paper proposes a SANET-CC protocol that allows ships to be assigned their own IP address. SANET-CC propagates several non-overlapping IP addresses through the entire network from land base stations to ships in the form of the tree. Ships allocate their own IP addresses through the exchange of simple requests and response messages with land base stations or M-ships that can allocate IP addresses. Therefore, SANET-CC can eliminate the IP collision prevention (Duplicate Address Detection) process and the process of network separation or integration caused by the movement of the ship. Various simulations were performed to verify the applicability of this protocol to SANET. The outcome of such simulations shows us the following. First, using SANET-CC, about 91% of the ships in the network were able to receive IP addresses under any circumstances. It is 6% higher than the existing studies. And it suggests that if variables are adjusted to each port's environment, it may show further improved results. Second, this work shows us that it takes all vessels an average of 10 seconds to receive IP addresses regardless of conditions. It represents a 50% decrease in time compared to the average of 20 seconds in the previous study. Also Besides, taking it into account that when existing studies were on 50 to 200 vessels, this study on 100 to 400 vessels, the efficiency can be much higher. Third, existing studies have not been able to derive optimal values according to variables. This is because it does not have a consistent pattern depending on the variable. This means that optimal variables values cannot be set for each port under diverse environments. This paper, however, shows us that the result values from the variables exhibit a consistent pattern. This is significant in that it can be applied to each port by adjusting the variable values. It was also confirmed that regardless of the number of ships, the IP allocation ratio was the most efficient at about 96 percent if the waiting time after the IP request was 75ms, and that the tree structure could maintain a stable network configuration when the number of IPs was over 30000. Fourth, this study can be used to design a network for supporting intelligent maritime control systems and services offshore, instead of satellite communication. And if LTE-M is set up, it is possible to use it for various intelligent services.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.295-304
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• 2015

This study intended to examine the correlation of career self-regulation (plan and check-up, positive thinking, career feedback, environment formation for career) and career identity (career decision, indecisiveness, career indecision) caused by parental career support (informative, emotional, financial, and empirical) among freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in the radiotechnology department. For assessment, a survey was conducted and according to the results, there existed correlation as follows. Regarding parental career support, emotional support is plan and check-up (r=.25, p<.001), Career feedback (r=.54, p<.001), and positive thinking (r=.46, p<.001) showed high positive correlation while informative support showed correlation in all factors showing high correlation with environment formation for career (r=.22, p<.001), plan and check-up (r=.20, p<.001), career feedback (r=.24, p<.001), and positive thinking (r=.26, p<.001). Financial support career feedback (r=.33, p<.001) and positive thinking (r=.34, p<.001) showed somewhat higher correlation. All factors of environment formation for career (r=.18, p<.001), plan and check-up (r=.25, p<.001), career feedback (r=.37, p<.001), and positive thinking (r=.30, p<.001) showed high correlation. Informative support showed high correlation only with career decision (r=.27, p<.001) and financial support also showed high correlation only with career decision (r=.18, p<.001). Also, empirical support was somewhat highly correlated only with career decision (r=.23, p<.001). Regarding school-year difference depending on parental career support, there was significant difference between emotional support (F=8.52, p<.001), financial support (F=8.97, p<.001), and empirical support (F=5.36, p<.05) while informative support was dismissed. Regarding school-year difference depending on career self-regulation, there was significant difference between career feedback (F=8.48, p<.001) and positive thinking (F=16.29, p<.001) while environment formation for career and plan and check-up were dismissed. Regarding school-year difference depending on career identity, there was significant difference between career indecision (F=4.01, p<.05) and career decision (F=11.72, p<.001) while indecisiveness was dismissed. According to the analysis results, parents' active support to their child like respecting and listening to their opinion on career, provision of career related experience or information, and provision of necessary financial aid for their study or academic preparation made the students plan and exploring their career, examine accomplishment progress, have positive idea to realize their objectives. In addition, the students were able to establish the objective of their career by forming the environment that helped them realize their objectives by seeking advices and encouragement from surroundings. Meanwhile, the parents' attitude to respect and listen to their child's career related opinion affected their career decision and indecision. Although informative support helped the students' career decision, financial and empirical support caused effect only to career decision.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 1999

This study was carried out to obtain some information on the sustainability of paddy rice through the long-term variation of nitrogen use efficiency. The experiment was conducted during 30-year with the same amount of N, P, K and compost at Milyang, southern part of Korea. The results were as follows. Grain yield was increased significantly in the plots of compost incorporation only. However, yield productivity was decreased slightly in the plots with nil and unbalanced fertilization. The effects of rice straw compost on grain yield was not clear at the early crop years but was shown slightly at the late period of the experimental. The grain yield in the plots of compost incorporation at 30th crop year was come to about 80% of NPK plots. The amount of nitrogen uptaken by rice plant was the highest as $167kg\;ha^{-1}$ in NPK plus compost incorporation. Recovery efficiency)($RE_N$) was higher as 0.48~0.74 in compost incorporation plots than in other plots of balanced and unbalanced application. Average agronomic efficiency($AE-N$) and partial factor productivity from N fertilizer applied($PFP_N$) during 30 crop years in NPK plots was 12.8 kg/kg N and 37.7 kg/kg N, respectively, and difference of $AE-N$ and $PFP_N$ shown as indigenous soil nitrogen supply(INS) was higher as 28.4 kg/kg N in NPK + compost plot than NPK plot and was widened at the late period of experiment.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2009

Pot experiments using sand culture were conducted in 2004 under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the effect of nitrogen deficiency on red pepper biomass. Nitrogen stress was imposed by implementing 6 levels (40% to 140%) of N in Hoagland's nutrient solution for red pepper. Canopy reflectance measurements were made with hand held spectral sensors including $GreenSeeker^{TM}$, $Crop\;Circle^{TM}$, and $Field\;Scout^{TM}$ Chlorophyll meter, and a spectroradiometer as well as Minolta SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter. Canopy reflectance and dry weight of red pepper were measured at five growth stages, the 30th, 40th, 50th, 80th and 120th day after planting(DAT). Dry weight of red pepper affected by nitrogen stress showed large differences between maximum and minimum values at the 120th DAT ranged from 48.2 to $196.6g\;plant^{-1}$, respectively. Several reflectance indices obtained from $GreenSeeker^{TM}$, $Crop\;Circle^{TM}$ and Spectroradiometer including chlorophyll readings were compared for evaluation of red pepper biomass. The reflectance indices such as rNDVI, aNDVI and gNDVI by the $Crop\;Circle^{TM}$ sensor showed the highest correlation coefficient with dry weight of red pepper at the 40th, 50th, and 80th DAT, respectively. Also these reflectance indices at the same growth station was closely correlated with dry weight, yield, and nitrogen uptake of red pepper at the 120th DAT, especially showing the best correlation coefficient at the 80th DAT. From these result, the aNDVI at the 80th DAT can significantly explain for dry weight of red pepper at the 120th DAT as well as for application level of nitrogen fertilizer. Consequently ground remote sensing as a non-destructive real-time assessment of plant nitrogen status was thought to be a useful tool for in season nitrogen management for red pepper providing both spatial and temporal information.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.139-148
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• 2020

Infectious diseases have long plagued mankind, and predicting and preventing them has been a big challenge for mankind. For this reasen, various studies have been conducted so far to predict infectious diseases. Most of the early studies relied on epidemiological data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the problem was that the data provided by the CDC was updated only once a week, making it difficult to predict the number of real-time disease outbreaks. However, with the emergence of various Internet media due to the recent development of IT technology, studies have been conducted to predict the occurrence of infectious diseases through web data, and most of the studies we have researched have been using single Web data to predict diseases. However, disease forecasting through a single Web data has the disadvantage of having difficulty collecting large amounts of learning data and making accurate predictions through models for recent outbreaks such as "COVID-19". Thus, we would like to demonstrate through experiments that models that use multiple Web data to predict the occurrence of infectious diseases through LSTM models are more accurate than those that use single Web data and suggest models suitable for predicting infectious diseases. In this experiment, we predicted the occurrence of "Malaria" and "Epidemic-parotitis" using a single web data model and the model we propose. A total of 104 weeks of NEWS, SNS, and search query data were collected, of which 75 weeks were used as learning data and 29 weeks were used as verification data. In the experiment we predicted verification data using our proposed model and single web data, Pearson correlation coefficient for the predicted results of our proposed model showed the highest similarity at 0.94, 0.86, and RMSE was also the lowest at 0.19, 0.07.