• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.318-328
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• 2018

Objectives: People are living longer, but often with diseases or chronic conditions. As a consequence, interest in resolving insurance blind spots is growing. This study provides substandard risk-relevant statistics to help substandard risks who are likely to fall in insurance blind spots obtain insurance coverage, such as the reimbursement of medical costs, as well as to stimulate insurance product development. Methods: This study uses National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) cohort data to determine the relevant statistics. The incidence rates of severe diseases are derived and compared against standard risks to establish a set of relative risk factors. These incidence rates of standard and substandard risks are then compared. Results: Currently, an individual's cancer history is used in the underwriting process for simplified issue insurance. However, underwriting focusing on hospitalization and procedures related to serious illnesses could lower premiums for substandard risks. Moreover, the statistical results could be used to expand the coverage of health insurance products. Conclusions: This study's relative risk factors can be used to derive simplified issue premium rates for substandard risks. They can also be used to implement discount and loading schemes for medical reimbursement insurance and help insurance companies implement proactive risk management.

• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.97-104
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to measuring the causal relationships among food involvement, health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, weight control and vegetable consumption. A total of 290 questionnaires were completed. Structural equation model was used to measure the causal relationships among constructs. Results of the study demonstrated that the structural analysis result for the data also indicated excellent model fit. The effects of food involvement on health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, weight control and vegetable consumption were statistically significant. As expected, health, mood, sensory appeal and eight control had significant effects on vegetable consumption. Moreover, health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal and weight control played mediating roles in the relationship between food involvement and vegetable consumption. In conclusion, based on structural analysis, a model was proposed of interrelations among food involvement, health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, weight control and vegetable consumption. It should be noted that the original vegetable consumption model was modified and should, preferably, be alidated in future research. Other variables, such as attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control, may be incorporated to form vegetable consumption models that consist of new antecedent and consequence pairs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.59-65
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• 2022

Background: Healthcare workers' attitudes toward vaccination have been widely described in the literature, but a restricted amount of studies assessed healthcare students' knowledge, attitudes, and opinions on this issue. This study aimed to estimate the influence of a degree course on knowledge and immunization behavior among healthcare students and to compare medical students with students from other health profession degree programs to identify possible differences. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was performed in 2018 in 14 Italian Universities (3,131 students were interviewed). A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and opinions toward vaccinations, with a specific focus on influenza vaccine and attitudes toward mandatory vaccination policies. Statistical software STATA® 14 was used. Results: Significant differences were recorded between medical students and other healthcare students. The intention to get vaccinated against influenza during the next season and having been vaccinated in the previous season was higher in the medical group (p < 0.001). In the group of students of other health professions, we registered a lower probability of identifying themselves as a high-risk group for contracting infectious diseases as a consequence of their profession and health status (aOR 0.49; CI95%: 0.40-0.60) and an increased likelihood of defining their level of knowledge on vaccine-preventable diseases and related vaccinations as "insufficient/sufficient/fair" (aOR 1.31; CI95%: 1.11-1.56). Conclusions: Results show several differences between medical students and students of other health professions when it comes to vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions, as well as a general low tendency to be vaccinated against influenza.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.123-129
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• 2009

Taste is associated with hedonic evaluation as well as recognition of quality and intensity. Taste information is sent to the cortical gustatory area in a chemotopical manner to be processed for discrimination of taste quality. It is also conveyed to the reward system and feeding center via the prefrontal cortices. The amygdala, which receives taste inputs, also influences reward and feeding. In terms of neuroactive substances, palatability is closely related to benzodiazepine derivatives and $\beta$-endorphin, both of which facilitate consumption of food and fluid. The reward system contains the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum and finally sends information to the lateral hypothalamic area, the feeding center. The dopaminergic system originating from the ventral tegmental area mediates the motivation to consume palatable food. The actual ingestive behavior is promoted by the orexigenic neuropeptides from the hypothalamus. Even palatable food can become aversive and avoided as a consequence of postingestional unpleasant experience such as malaise. The brain mechanism of these aspects of taste is elucidated.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.162-167
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• 2016

As the simple empirical and phenomenological model applied to the analysis of leakage and explosion of chemical substances does not regard numerous variables, such as positional density of installations and equipment, turbulence, atmospheric conditions, obstacles, and wind effects, there is a significant gap between actual accident consequence and computation. Therefore, the risk management of a chemical plant based on such a computation surely has low reliability. Since a process plant is required to have outcomes more similar to the actual outcomes to secure highly reliable safety, this study was designed to apply the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation technique to analyze a virtual prediction under numerous variables of leakages and explosions very similarly to reality, in order to review the computation technique of the practical safety distance at a process plant.

• Water Engineering Research
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• 제3권4호
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• pp.259-267
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• 2002

South Africa has developed a policy and law that calls and provides for the equitable and sustainable use of water resources. Sustainable resource use is dependent on effective resource protection. Rivers are the most important freshwater resources in the country, and there is a focus on developing and applying methods to quantify what rivers need in terms of flow and water quality. These quantified and descriptive objectives are then related to specified levels of ecological health in a classification system. This paper provides an overview of an integrated and systematic methodology, where, fer each river, and each river reach, the natural condition and the present ecological condition are described, and a level/class of ecosystem health is selected. The class will define long term management goals. This procedure requires each ecosystem component to be quantified, starting with the abiotic template. A modified flow regime is modelled for each ecosystem health class, and the resultant fluvial geomorphology and hydraulic habitats are described. Then the water chemistry is described, and the water quality changes that are likely to occur as a consequence of altered flows are predicted. Finally, the responses to the stress imposed on the biota (fish, invertebrates and vegetation) by modified flow and water quality are predicted. All of the predicted responses are translated into descriptive and/or quantitative management objectives. The paper concludes with the recognition of active method development, and the enormous challenge of applying the methods, implementing the law, and achieving river protection and sustainable resource-use.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.65-91
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• 2014

Our study adopted ELM (Elaboration Likelihood Model) to measure the impact of central and peripheral cues on e-healthcare website behavior and its consequence on perceived loyalty of users. While most of ELM studies did not elaborate the antecedent of both central and peripheral cues, we measured the antecedents of those information processing routes to clarify how technical and quality factors (i.e. information organization, security concern, and website attractiveness) develop the nature of either central or peripheral route. We found that information organization was the main antecedent of information quality presented on the website. Second, the results revealed that website security has a positive effect on website credibility. Third, we also found that website attractiveness was positively associated with website credibility. Fourth, consistent with elaboration likelihood model, the empirical findings suggested that information quality (central cue) and website credibility (peripheral cue) were strong predictors of behavior intention to use health website. Our findings also suggested that behavior intention to use health website significantly influenced perceived loyalty.

• 근관절건강학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.255-264
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of the study were to analyze the research trends of compassion fatigue in Korea nurses and to suggest future research directions. Methods: For this study, RISS, KISTI, KISS, National Assembly Library databases were searched using the key words 'compassion fatigue', 'secondary traumatic stress', 'professional quality of life' that contains compassion fatigue as a sub-element, and 'nurses' for this study. A total of 124 articles published in June 2014 were searched and analyzed 19 articles for the final analysis. Results: The most frequently used study design was descriptive (N=17, 89.5%). High compassion fatigue was reported in this study. Factors affecting compassion fatigue were personal factors (e.g., age, health state, and sleep hours), work-related factors (e.g., experience with traumatized patients), and psychological factors (e.g., job stress, anxiety, excessive empathy, social support, and coping strategy). Finally, Consequence factors of compassion fatigue was reported burnout, silencing response and turnover intention. Conclusion: There was a few studies on compassion fatigue. Further research on compassion fatigue needs to use a variety of study designs instruments suitable for Korean nurses, and to develop management programs on compassion fatigue in nurses.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.468-472
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• 2018

Background: Firefighters are required to use self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which impairs ventilatory mechanics. We hypothesized that firefighters have elevated arterial $CO_2$ when using SCBA. Methods: Firefighters and controls performed a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and two graded exercise tests (GXTs) at 25%, 50%, and 70% of their maximal aerobic power, once with a SCBA facemask and once with protective clothing and full SCBA. Results: Respiratory rate increased more in controls than firefighters. Heart rate increased as a function of oxygen consumption ($V_{O_2}$) more in controls than firefighters. End-tidal $CO_2$ ($ETCO_2$) during the GXTs was not affected by work rate in either group for either condition but was higher in firefighters at all work rates in both GXTs. SCBA increased $ETCO_2$ in controls but not firefighters. Conclusions: The present study showed that when compared to controls, firefighters' hypoventilate during a maximal test and GXT. The hypoventilation resulted in increased $ETCO_2$, and presumably increased arterial $CO_2$, during exertion. It is proposed that firefighters have altered $CO_2$ sensitivity due to voluntary hypoventilation during training and work. Confirmation of low $CO_2$ sensitivity and the consequence of this on performance and long-term health remain to be determined.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.201-206
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• 2023

Background: Despite workplaces having policies on fire evacuation, many employees still fail to evacuate when there is a fire alarm. The Reasoned Action Approach is designed to reveal the beliefs underlying people's behavioral decisions and thus suggests causal determinants to be addressed with interventions designed to facilitate behavior. This study is a uses a Reasoned Action Approach salient belief elicitation to identify university employees' perceived advantages/disadvantages, approvers/disapprovers, and facilitators/barriers toward them leaving the office building immediately the next time they hear a fire alarm at work. Methods: Employees at a large public United States Midwestern university completed an online cross-sectional survey. A descriptive analysis of the demographic and background variables was completed, and a six-step inductive content analysis of the open-ended responses was conducted to identify beliefs about leaving during a fire alarm. Results: Regarding consequence, participants perceived that immediately leaving during a fire alarm at work had more disadvantages than advantages, such as low risk perception. Regarding referents, supervisors and coworkers were significant approvers with intention to leave immediately. None of the perceived advantages were significant with intention. Participants listed access and risk perception as significant circumstances with the intention to evacuate immediately. Conclusion: Norms and risk perceptions are key determinants that may influence employees to evacuate immediately during a fire alarm at work. Normative-based and attitude-based interventions may prove effective in increasing the fire safety practices of employees.