• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.269-276
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• 2020

Fibrosis is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components. The fibrotic process ultimately leads to organ dysfunction and failure in chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, advanced kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common form of progressive and chronic interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. Pathophysiologically, the parenchyma of the lung alveoli, interstitium, and capillary endothelium becomes scarred and stiff, which makes breathing difficult because the lungs have to work harder to transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveolar space and bloodstream. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and scarring of the lung tissue. Recent clinical trials focused on the development of pharmacological agents that either directly or indirectly target kinases for the treatment of IPF. Therefore, to develop therapeutic targets for pulmonary fibrosis, it is essential to understand the key factors involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and the underlying signaling pathway. The objective of this review is to discuss the role of kinase signaling cascades in the regulation of either TGF-β-dependent or other signaling pathways, including Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase, c-jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5, and p90 ribosomal S6 kinase pathways, and potential therapeutic targets in IPF.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.612-619
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine health problems and to estimate economic impact based on health problems of workers. Methods: The subjects of this study consisted of 301 workers who received a group occupational health service. Data was collected from February 1 to March 30, 2006. The questionnaire contained questions based on general characteristics and the Stanford Presenteeism Scale. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test using SPSS program. Results: The primary health conditions as reported by workers were ranked in order as stomach or bowel disorders, back or neck disorders, or liver function disorders. The reason of absenteeism per worker was ranked in order as asthma, or a breathing disorder. The reason of presenteeism was ranked in order as asthma, insomnia or a sleep disorder. The cost of the total economic impact on the workplace in this study was 8,851,838 won. The cost of absenteeism per worker was 8,390 won. The cost of presenteeism per worker was 941,732 won. Conclusion: Presenteeism had a strong correlation to health conditions of the workers. Therefore, improving the work conditions of the workers is very important. If employers improve the health condition of workers, they will benefit from improved productivity in their business.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.62-68
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• 2004

A comprehensive numerical analysis has been carried out for both non-reacting and reacting flows in a scramjet engine combustor with and without a cavity. The theoretical formulation treats the complete conservation equations of chemically reacting flows with finite-rate chemistry of hydrogen-air. Turbulence closure is achieved by means of a k-$\omega$ two-equation model. The governing equations are discretized using a MUSCL-type TVD scheme, and temporally integrated by a second-order accurate implicit scheme. Transverse injection of hydrogen is considered over a broad range of injection pressure. The corresponding equivalence ratio of the overall fuel/air mixture ranges from 0.167 to 0.50. The work features detailed resolution of the flow and flame dynamics in the combustor, which was not typically available in most of the previous studies. In particular, the oscillatory flow characteristics are captured at a scale sufficient to identify the .underlying physical mechanisms. Much of the flow unsteadiness is related not only to the cavity, but also to the intrinsic unsteadiness in the flow-field. The interactions between the unsteady flow and flame evolution may cause a large excursion of flow oscillation. The roles of the cavity, injection pressure, and heat release in determining the flow dynamics are examined systematically.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.65-70
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• 2011

Three major physiological functions of nose can be described as air-conditioning, filtering and smelling. Detailed knowledge of airflow characteristics in nasal cavities is essential to understanding of the physiological and pathological aspects of nasal breathing. In our laboratory, a series of experimental investigations have been conducted on the airflows in normal and abnormal nasal cavity models by means of PIV under both constant and periodic flow conditions. In this work, more specifically experimental and numerical results on the surgically modified inferior turbinate model were presented. With the high resolution CT data and a careful treatment of the model surface under the ENT doctor's advice yielded quite sophisticated cavity models for the PIV experiment. Physiological nature of the airflow was discussed in terms of velocity distribution and vortical structure for constant inspirational flow. Since the inferior and middle turbinate are key determinants of nasal airflow, the turbinectomy obviously altered the main stream direction. This phenomenon may cause local changes in physiological function and the flow resistance.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.125-139
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• 2010

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently complain of dyspnea on exertion and reduced exercise capacity, which has been attributed to an increase in the work of breathing and in impaired of gas exchange. Although COPD primarily affects the pulmonary system, patients with COPD exhibit significant systemic manifestations of disease progression. These manifestations include weight loss, nutritional abnormalities, skeletal muscle dysfunction (SMD), cardiovascular problems, and psychosocial complications. It has been documented that SMD significantly contributes to a reduced exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Ventilatory and limb muscle in these patients show structural and functional alteration, which are influenced by several factors, including physical inactivity, hypoxia, smoking, aging, corticosteroid, malnutrition, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway activation. This article summarizes briefly the evidence and the clinical consequences of SMD in patients with COPD. In addition, it reviews contributing factors and therapeutic strategies.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.21 no.2 s.66
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• pp.64-73
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• 2007

The absorption characteristics of hazardous materials onto human body and defense mechanism differ from each other region within the respiratory tracts, thus adverse health effects of inhaled smokes are associated with not only the concentration but also the location of the particles deposited. In this work, the deposition fraction per surface area and the deposition sites of the smoke particles in human respiratory tracts for each rest and light exercise conditions together with oral and nasal breathing were calculated by using segmental volume tracking method. The results would be used for deriving the amount of absorption of hazardous materials onto human body, thus contribute to the health risk assessments of inhaled fire smokes.

• International Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.58-61
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• 2015

Combustion instability in solid rocket motors is a long-term open problem since the first rockets were used. Based on the numerous previous studies, it is known that the limit cycle amplitude is one of the key characteristics of the nonlinear combustion instability in solid rocket motors. Flandro's extended energy balance corollary, aims to predict the limit cycle amplitude of complex, nonlinear pressure oscillations for rockets or air-breathing engines, and leads to a precise assessment of nonlinear combustion instability in solid rocket motors. However, based on the comparison with experimental data, it is revealed that the Flandro's method cannot accurately describe such a complex oscillatory pressure. Thus in this work we make modifications of the nonlinear term in the nonlinear wave equations which represents the interaction of different modes. Through this modified method, a numerical simulation of the cylindrical solid rocket has been carried out, and the simulated result consists well with the experimental data. It means that the added coefficient makes the nonlinear wave growth equations describe the experimental data better.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to changes in respiratory function due to differences in mask blocking grade, and effects on cardiovascular function during aerobic exercise. Design: Comparative study using paired t-test and analysis of variance measures. Methods: Male and female subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups according to mask blocking grade and measured respiratory functions before and after wearing the mask using spirometers, and their cardiovascular capabilities were measured using pulse oxygen meters and blood pressure meters before and after running for 10 minutes wearing mask. Used paired t-test, one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-test to compare the differences according to the mask blocking grade. Results: The experimental results verified that three groups except for the Non-mask group had a significant reduction in all values of FVC, FEV1, MVV, and PEF after wearing a mask compared to those before wearing a mask(p<0.05). Also a significant difference in cardiovascular functions was also observed after aerobic exercises wearing mask in all groups and there was a significant difference between all four groups(p<0.05). Conclusions: Lung patients with poor breathing, elderly and children with poor lung function, and professional groups who need to wear masks and take high-intensity work or aerobic movements are encouraged to take frequent breaks in advance, wear masks and social distancing at moderate and low levels.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

Applying the gyroscopic technology, HeadZmouse has been developed to simulate left and right mouse click, double click, drag and drop, and even a wheel function for navigating web. This device was designed to work on both PC and Macintosh environments using a USB cable. The first time you use this device, you'll find out how much freedom it offers to someone who can't use his or her hands freely. Rather than being tied to your computer, simple manipulation such as blowing an air (breathing) into a sonic sensor can simulate all the functions which standard mouse has, even including a wheel function. Also, a macro-interface device has been developed. By storing repetitive tasks into a memory, you can carry out repetitive tasks just by clicking a button once.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.200-210
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the exposure to ozone and total volatile organic compounds(TVOCs) generated during welding work at a shipyard and recommend respiratory protective equipment(RPE) adequate against these hazards. Method: Ozone was collected for about 30 minutes at two-minutes intervals using a direct reading instrument, specifically an ozone analyzer(Serinus 10, Ecotech, Australia). TVOCs were collected for about 30 minutes at three-minute intervals using a portable GC (Alpha 115, Synspec BV, the Netherlands), and were determined simultaneously by area sampling at the welding plume closest to the welder's breathing zone. The total measurements were 162 for ozone($CO_2$ welding 47, TIG 60, stick 55), and 136 for TVOCs($CO_2$ 65, TIG 50, stick 21). Based on these measurements, a literature survey was conducted to assess the adequacy of RPE. Results: Relative to Korean OEL, measurements above STEL 0.2 ppm were 23.4% for $CO_2$, 63.3% for TIG and 14.5% for stick welding. There were significant differences(p=<0.0001) among welding types. Compared with ACGIH peak exposure of 0.4 ppm for ozone, which is not applied in Korea, $CO_2$ welding exceeded it by 10.6%, TIG by 40.0% and stick by 7.3%. Although it was not feasible to compare them directly since there are no Korean OEL, TVOCs had very high levels similar to the concentrations before moving into a new apartment and about 10-20 times the indoor air quality recommendations for some individual measurements. Conclusions: As ozone removal RPE has been recommended in welding environments for a long time(Lunau, 1967), this fact was demonstrated based on the results of the on-site work environment measurements(ozone and TVOCs). In conclusion, for all welding at a shipyard, gas/vapor and particulate combination RPE are recommended. If this is not possible, it should at least be present for TIG welding.