• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.47-52
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• 2011

Periodontal disease is a common inflammatory disorder that is being considered as a risk factor for atherosclerotic complication. Recent epidemiological evidence also supports that its potential association with increased blood pressure levels and hypertensive prevalence. Data from cross-sectional studies suggest that in hypertensive patients periodontal disease may enhance the risk and degree of target organ damage. So dental infections have been associated with cardiovascular diseases. There are potential pathophysiologic links between hypertension and periodontits. The role of the inflammatory pathway include C-reactive protein(CRP). CRP is an inflammatory mediator that has been shown to predict the development of hypertension independently of baseline BP and traditional risk factors, has been consistently reported as at least mildly elevated in patients with periodontal disease. Reactive oxygen species produced by locally infiltrating neutrophils participate in periodontal tissue destruction. Periodontits can lead to inflammatory responses in the atrial myocardium, which disturbs the structural and electrophysiologic properties of the atrium and facilitates atrial fibrillation in the animal experiment.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2009

In this paper, we investigate the performance limitations of SubCarrier Multiplexed(SCM) WDM systems using optical Double-Side Band(DSB) modulated 16 QAM signals. The Bit-Error Rate(BER) performance is evaluated under various optical transmission links including the effects of the dispersion and fiber nonlinearities such as SPM(Self-Phase Modulation) and XPM(cross-phase modulation). After simulation of SCM-WDM systems, the dominant factors determining the entire system performance are appeared to be the nonlinearity of MZ(Mach-Zehnder) modulator and the SCM channel spacing. The BER performance of subcarrier channels in the higher frequencies was degraded with the large dispersion effect only, however, the performance was improved a little with a combined effect of fiber dispersion and nonlinear effect when the hish fiber launching power was applied.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.490-500
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate fluid intake and hydration status in association with cognitive function among 230 adolescents (10-14 years of age) in Petaling Perdana, Selangor, Malaysia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Urine color was used to measure hydration status, while fluid intake was assessed using the 15-item beverage intake questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition. RESULTS: More than half of the adolescents were mildly or moderately dehydrated (59.6%) and only one-third (33.0%) were well hydrated. Among the daily fluid types, intakes of soft drinks (r = -0.180; P = 0.006), sweetened tea (r = -0.184; P = 0.005) and total sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) (r = -0.199; P = 0.002) were negatively correlated with cognitive function. In terms of hydration status, cognitive function score was significantly higher (F-ratio = 4.102; P = 0.018) among hydrated adolescents (100.38 ± 12.01) than in dehydrated (92.00 ± 13.63) counterparts. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, showed that soft drinks (β = -0.009; P < 0.05) and sweetened tea (β = -0.019; P < 0.05) negatively predicted cognitive function (ΔR² = 0.044). When further control for sources of fluid, hydration status (β = -2.839; P < 0.05) was shown to negatively predict cognitive function (ΔR² = 0.021). The above variables contributed 20.1% of the variance in cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the links between fluid intake (soft drinks, sweetened tea, total SSBs) and hydration status with cognitive function in adolescents. Interventions aimed at decreasing the consumption of SSBs and increasing hydration status through healthy fluid choices, such as water, could improve cognitive performance in adolescents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2697-2700
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to assess cancer awareness among medical students in Saudi Arabia toward tobacco and alcohol use as risk factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey from October to December 2014, covering 1200 medical students, was performed. Results: Of the total, 975 (81.25%) responded. The male to female ratio was 1.00:7.125. 96/975 (9.8%) had smoked tobacco in their lifetime, and 51/975 (5.23%) were alcoholic beverage consumers. On asking them whether tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption can cause cancer, only 4/975 (0.4%) and 14/975 (1.43%) answered no for smoking and alcohol, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking and alcohol use is very low among medical students, which might be due to high female contribution besides social stigma. The prevalence of second-hand smoke (SHS) was found to be very high in Hail region.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.504-514
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to assess the bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical bone turnover markers (BTMs), and factors associated with bone health in young Korean women. Methods: Participants were 1,298 women, ages 18-29, recruited in Korea. Measurements were BMD by calcaneus quantitative ultrasound, BTMs for Calcium, Phosphorus, Osteocalcin, and C-telopeptide cross-links (CTX), body composition by physical measurements, nutrients by food frequency questionnaire and psychosocial factors associated with bone health by self-report. Results: The mean BMD (Z-score) was -0.94. 8.7% women had lower BMD ($Z-score{\leq}-2$) and 14.3% women had higher BMD ($Z-score{\geq}0$) than women of same age. BTMs were not significantly different between high-BMD ($Z-score{\geq}0$) and low-BMD (Z-score<0) women. However, Osteocalcin and CTX were higher in women preferring caffeine intake, sedentary lifestyle and alcoholic drinks. Body composition and Calcium intake were significantly higher in high-BMD. Low-BMD women reported significantly higher susceptibility and barriers to exercise in health beliefs, lower bone health self-efficacy and promoting behaviors. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that bone health of young Korean women is not good. Development of diverse strategies to intervene in factors such as exercise, nutrients, self-efficacy, health beliefs and behaviors, shown to be important, are needed to improve bone health.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.19-27
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• 2012

In railway tunnel environment, the reliability of a high-data-rate and real-time train-to-wayside communication should be maintained especially when high-speed train moves along the track. In China and Europe, the communication frequency around 900 MHz is widely used for railway applications. At this carrier frequency band, both of the solutions based on continuously laid leaky coaxial cable (LCX) and discretely installed base-station antennas (BSAs), are applied in tunnel radio coverage. Many available works have concentrated on the radio-wave propagation in tunnels by different kinds of prediction models. Most of them solve this problem as natural propagation in a relatively large hollow waveguide, by neglecting the transmitting/receiving (Tx/Rx) components. However, within such confined areas like railway tunnels especially loaded with train, the complex communication environment becomes an important factor that would affect the quality of the signal transmission. This paper will apply a full-wave numerical method to this case, for considering the BSA or LCX, train antennas and their interacted environments, such as the locomotive body, overhead line for power supply, locomotive pantograph, steel rails, ballastless track, tunnel walls, etc.. Involving finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and uni-axial anisotropic perfectly matched layer (UPML) technique, the entire wireless RF downlinks of BSA and LCX to tunnel space to train antenna are precisely modeled (so-called integrative modeling technique, IMT). When exciting the BSA and LCX separately, the field distributions of some cross-sections in a rectangular tunnel are presented. It can be found that the influence of the locomotive body and other tunnel environments is very significant. The field coverage on the locomotive roof plane where the train antennas mounted, seems more homogenous when the side-laying position of the BSA or LCX is much higher. Also, much smoother field coverage solution is achieved by choosing LCX for its characteristic of more homogenous electromagnetic wave radiation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7875-7878
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• 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of breast cancer risk factors among female university students in 24 low, middle income and emerging economy countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 10,242 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.7, SD=2.9) from 25 universities in 24 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Using anonymous questionnaires the awareness of links between breast cancer and heredity, diet, overweight, exercise, alcohol use, smoking and stress was assessed. Results indicated that 35.4% of the women were not aware that any of these risk factors could influence breast cancer, 43.8% were aware of a genetic link, and only 12.5%, 10.9% and 10.6% correctly identified alcohol use, overweight and physical inactivity, respectively, as factors causing breast cancer. Moreover, 13.3% rated dietary fat and 11.5% fibre as influencing breast cancer; both low-fat and high-fibre diets may be weakly protective against breast cancer, and smoking (19.4%) and stress (13.5%), the most commonly chosen breast cancer lifestyle risk factors, have less clear impact on breast cancer. There were marked country differences, e.g., in regards of being aware of genetic causes of breast cancer risk in female students from Ivory Coast, India, Madagascar, Nigeria and Laos below 30% and female students from Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, Grenada and Philippines 60 or more percent. This study provides insight in the breast cancer risk perception of young women, which can be utilized in breast cancer awareness and prevention programmes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5983-5986
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• 2015

Background: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency is very common in Pakistan and is often related to inferior prognosis in some cancers but limited data exist for hematopoietic malignancies. This study was conducted to determine the vitamin D insufficiency in B-chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) cases at the time of presentation and its possible correlation with clinical staging, hematological parameters and biochemical markers. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried at Liaquat National Hospital from January 2011 to June 2013. Sixty patients with B-chronic lymphoid leukemia were enrolled. Complete blood count, vitamin D levels, serum urea, creatinine, uric acid and LDH levels were assessed. Data were compiled and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: Out of 60 patients, 42 (70%) were male and 18 (30%) were female. Mean age was $59.0{\pm}9.2years$. The frequency of vitamin D insufficiency was found to be 56.7%. Overall insufficiency was more frequently seen in male gender (40%). Vitamin D insufficiency demonstrated a positive association with low lactate dehydrogenase levels (P=0.005). No links were established with age, clinical stage, hematological and other biochemical markers. Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency is high compared with Western studies. Whether normalization of vitamin D insufficiency in deficient B-CLL patients could improve the clinical outcome or delay disease progression will require further studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6121-6125
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• 2014

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a potential biomarker for early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) but its level is known to be affected by many background factors and roles of ubiquitous toxicants have not been determined. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous reproductive toxicants used in consumer products, which promote tumor formation in some reproductive model systems by binding to AhR, but human data on its expression in prostate cancer as well as its association with PSA levels are not clear. This study aimed to evaluate the expression levels of AhR and its association with serological levels of PSA and to detect possible effects of background factors and EDC exposure history on PSA levels in PCa cases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the tissue levels of AhR and serum levels of PSA in 53 PCa cases from 2008-2011 and associations between each and background and lifestyle related factors were determined. Results: Although the AhR was overexpressed in PCa and correlated with the age of patients, it did not correlate with PSA levels.Of nutritional factors, increased intake of polysaturated fats and fish in the routine regimen of PCa cases increased the PSA levels significantly. Conclusions: AhR overexpression in PCa pontws to roles of EDCs in PCa but without any direct association with PSA levels. However, PSA levels are affected by exposure to possible toxicants in foods whichneed to be assessed as possible risk factors of PCa in future studies.

• Journal of KIISE:Computing Practices and Letters
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.244-253
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• 2000

Since no single routing-switching combination performs the best under various different types of applications, a flexible network is required to support a range of polices. This paper introduces an implementation of a look-up table routing engine offering flexible routing and switching polices without performance degradation unlike those based on microprocessors. By deciding contents of look-up tables, the engine can implement wormhole routing, virtual cut-through routing, and packet switching, as well as hybrid switching, under a variety of routing algorithms. Since the routing engine has a piplelined look-up table architecture, the routing delay is as small as one flit, and thus it can overlap multiple routing actions without performance degradation in comparison with hardwired routers dedicated to a specific policy. Because four pipeline stages do not induce a hazard, expensive forwarding logic is not required. The routing engine can accommodate four physical links with a time shared cut-through bus or single link with a cross-bar switch. It is implemented using Xilinx 4000 series FPGA.