• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.101-108
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• 2023

Although the proportion of coal-fired power generation is decreasing, efficient operating technology is needed to continuously invest in facilities and reduce maintenance costs until it is abolished. Boilers, one of the main facilities of power plants, operate for a long time in harsh environments of high temperature and high pressure. In addition, damage due to deterioration is likely to occur depending on the fuel and tube material used. It is very important to judge soundness because damage caused by deterioration adversely affects facility operation. Previously, replication method was used to analyze the progress of deterioration. In the replication method, pre-treatment such as chemical treatment is performed on the boiler tube in the field, the area is reproduced by attaching a film, and the replicated film is determined by an expert in the laboratory with an expensive microscope. However, this method involves substantial costs and time requirements, as well as the possibility of human errors. To address these issues, we developed a mobile health assessment system in this research. Since it is detachable and takes images in real time, this system enables swift evaluations across a broad range and facilitates the assessment of preprocessing quality. In addition, it was intended to reduce existing human mistakes by developing a degradation classification algorithm using the merger cluster method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.395-402
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• 2023

Objectives: Microbial contamination of face masks used by healthcare professionals can vary depending on the degree of exposure to bioaerosols in various healthcare environments. However, research on this topic is limited. Therefore, we analyzed microbial contamination of N95 respirators used in hospital offices, wards, and outpatient settings. Methods: Samples isolated from N95 respirators worn for 2, 4, and 6 hours were incubated at a temperature of 35-37℃ or 25-28℃ for 24 hours or for 3-7 days, and colony-forming units were counted in chocolate agar, tryptic soy agar, and Sabouraud dextrose agar plates. Total indoor airborne bacteria were also measured in the healthcare environments. Finally, microbial species were identified using Gram staining with a microscopic speculum. Results: The three types of environments did not deviate from the maintenance of standard indoor air quality. There was no difference between the microbial species identified in the healthcare environment and mask contamination. However, the number of bacteria in the masks worn in each environment differed, and the degree of contamination increased with mask-wearing time (p<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, care must be taken to avoid recontamination of masks due to improper use and exposure to biological hazards in healthcare environments. In conclusion, scientific evidence is necessary for safe mask-wearing times. Based on the results of this study, we hope to conduct further research to establish guidelines for the safe use of face masks during respiratory disease epidemics.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.179-193
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• 2023

This study explores an alternative to the existing centralized process for data anomaly detection in modern Internet of Things (IoT)-based structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. An edge intelligence framework is proposed for the early detection and classification of various data anomalies facilitating quality enhancement of acquired data before transmitting to a central system. State-of-the-art deep neural network pruning techniques are investigated and compared aiming to significantly reduce the network size so that it can run efficiently on resource-constrained edge devices such as wireless smart sensors. Further, depthwise separable convolution (DSC) is invoked, the integration of which with advanced structural pruning methods exhibited superior compression capability. Last but not least, quantization-aware training (QAT) is adopted for faster processing and lower memory and power consumption. The proposed edge intelligence framework will eventually lead to reduced network overload and latency. This will enable intelligent self-adaptation strategies to be employed to timely deal with a faulty sensor, minimizing the wasteful use of power, memory, and other resources in wireless smart sensors, increasing efficiency, and reducing maintenance costs for modern smart SHM systems. This study presents a theoretical foundation for the proposed framework, the validation of which through actual field trials is a scope for future work.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.35-43
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• 2024

The development and integration of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have consistently attracted attention from software engineering researchers. Many studies have examined the factors that influence successful ERP integration, while others have focused on introducing integration models that address issues and challenges that affect the successful integration of ERP. However, it is crucial to recognize that the key player in successful integration is the individual involved. This paper aims to investigate how individuals based on departmental attachments and experiences have viewed the factors that affected the success of ERP integration. A case study was conducted at one large organization namely Umm Al Qura University, Saudi Arabia. Five departments were involved namely: Financial management, purchasing management, warehouse management, human resources management, and the Deanship of Information Technology. The results of 78 participants were collected and analyzed. Furthermore, it was different how individuals from different departments involved in the ERP integration viewed the factors that affected the success of integration. In addition, it was noticed that individuals with different experiences have various views on the factors. Moreover, it was evident that departmental attachments and individual experience might play a role in the successful integration of ERP.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2023.11a
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• pp.51-52
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• 2023

Recently, heat island and dry island phenomena occur frequently due to land surface development and excessive energy consumption in urban areas. As a result, the surface temperature of the building and the entire temperature of its surroundings are increased, and as a result, the durability of the building is rapidly deteriorated. In order to suppress these causes, a method of maintaining the temperature of road heating wires was implemented as a temporary measure, but this did not predict climate change. Therefore, this study is a method to measure the compressive strength, density, and thermal conductivity of light weight concrete using waste glass foam beads. After fabricating a simple chamber, the temperature and humidity of the inside and outside were measured with an Arduino device in consideration of external factors. Therefore, if waste glass foam beads made through proper mixing are constructed in the urban center, the quality of the urban can be improved.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2024

Traffic-induced vibrations (TIVs) possess the potential to induce structural damage in both historical and critical edifices. Recent investigations have underscored the adverse impact of TIVs within buildings, manifesting as a deleterious influence on the quality of life and operational efficiency of occupants. Consequently, these studies have dichotomized TIVs into two primary limit categories: the threshold for vibrations capable of causing structural damage and the limit values associated with human comfort. In this current research endeavor, an exhaustive analysis of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), peak ground displacement (PGD), and the frequency spectrum of ground motions originating from diverse traffic sources has been conducted. Furthermore, the detrimental repercussions of these vibrations on structures, gauged through the assessment of the peak particle velocity (PPV) parameter, have been systematically evaluated. The findings of this study elucidate that TIVs within the examined structures do not attain magnitudes conducive to structural compromise; however, the levels surpassing human comfort limits are evident, attributable to specific sources and distances. Moreover, this investigation sheds light on the absence of comprehensive criteria and guidelines pertaining to the assessment of TIVs in structures within the Turkish Building Seismic Design Code 2018. It seeks to raise awareness among building constructors about the critical importance of addressing this issue, emphasizing the imperative for guidelines in mitigating the impact of TIVs on both structural integrity and human well-being.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.288-300
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• 2024

Freshwater environments are rich ecosystems that support diverse microbial communities, including members of the phylum Actinomycetota critical for nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and water quality maintenance. Actinomycetota known to produce numerous bioactive secondary metabolites are valuable in biotechnology, medicine, and agriculture. Despite their significance, the diversity and distribution of Actinomycetota in freshwater habitats, especially in the Republic of Korea, are underexplored. This study aimed to report the isolation and characterization of 22 previously unrecorded bacterial species of Actinomycetota from various freshwater environments in Korea. Using standard dilution plating techniques on six different culture media, 22 bacterial strains were isolated, incubated, and characterized based on colony and cellular morphologies, Gram staining, and biochemical properties. Genomic DNA was extracted and the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced to determine species identity using the EzBioCloud service with a cutoff of 98.7% sequence similarity for classification as unreported species. These strains were phylogenetically diverse, belonging to two classes, ten orders, and eighteen genera. This study enhances our understanding of bacterial diversity in freshwater ecosystems and underscores the importance of exploring microbial diversity in underexplored habitats, potentially leading to discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Findings of this study contribute valuable insights into ecological roles and biotechnological potential of Actinomycetota in freshwater environments.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.65-76
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• 1982

This survey was conducted to investigate the status of repair and maintenance of 4 wheel tractor for a basic reference to the improvement of quality and proper utilization of tractors. Thirty two counties from eight provinces, except Jeju, were covered in this study in order to investigate annual break-down and repair of tractor in 1980. The analyzed results are summarized as follows; 1. The average number of break-down of large size tractors(47ps) was 5.0 times in a year and it was about twice of that of small size tractors(19-23ps). The break-down frequency per 100 hours of use was 1.11 times in the large size and 0.65 times in the small size tractors. 2. 75.6 percent of total break-down was occured in main body of tractor and 24.4 percent in attachments. In particular, the break-down of plow and rotavator was more than 80 percent of total break-down of the small size tractor attachments. 3. The large size tractors which were occured more than one times of break-down a year was 75 percent and its rate of the small size tractor was 62 percent. But 9 percent of tractor surveyed had more than ten times of break-down in a year 4. The frequency of break-down had a peak in May, and it was directly proportional to the hours of use. 5. The causes of break-down were poor maintenance and operation by 29.8 precent, old parts by 30.2 percent, poor quality of parts by 20.6 percent, poor field condition by 16.3 percent and others by 3.1 percent. 6. Annual number of repair was 5.5 times and among them 55.6 percent was done by shop and 44.4 percent by operator. 7. Total required repair time was 30.6 hours a year in the large size tractor and 19.9 hours in the small size tractor. Average repair time was 3.62 hours a time. 8. Annual repair cost was 278 thousand won in the large size tractor and 70 thousand won in the small size tractor. The repair cost per hour of use was 621 won in the large size and 198 won in the small size tractor. 9. The repair cost rate of tractor(Y) was regulated with tractor age (X) as follow; Y=0.752X In case of the service life of tractor was 10 years, the total repair cost rate was 64 percent.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2005

This study was carried out to provide fundamental data for an examination of a health promotion program by determining the influence of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile on the quality of life of female dental hygienists. The sample was selected from the population of 1,148 who were registered in the Association of Seoul Dental Hygienists. 800 subjects were randomly selected from 25 districts in Seoul. The data was collected by calling the dental hygienists to, explaining the contents and objective of our study, and sending them a questionnaire by post. The questionnaire consists of the total number of 97 questions: 62 questions on the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile, 26 questions on the quality of life and 9 general characteristics questions. The data was collected from August 16 to October 15, 2004. Out of 800 subjects, 481(60.1%) completed the questionnaires. For statistical analysis, the frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis, were analyzed using the SAS 8.1 Analysis program. The significance level was set to 0.05. The results of this study were as follows: First, The average score of the subjects' quality of life was 3.1. For the sub-categories, it was shown that the degree of satisfaction on the condition of society was the highest at 3.2, and the degree of satisfaction on the condition of the individuals was the lowest at 3.1. The average score of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile variable was 2.5. For the sub-categories, it was shown that the degree of sanitary life was at 3.2, and degree of the professional health maintenance was the lowest at 1.7. Second, There were significant differences in the Quality of Life benefits of action with the general characteristics. There were significant differences in age, educational level, income, marital status, career, and Perceived Health Status. There were significant difference in Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile benefits of action with the general characteristics. There were significant differences in terms of age, educational level, income, marital status, career, and the Perceived Health Status. Finally, The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the powerful predictors were Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile, income and the Perceived Health Status. These factors accounted for 37.6% of the variance in the Quality of Life patterns. As the subjects were limited to dental hygienists in Seoul, care should be taken when applying these results to all dental hygienists in Korea. In order to generalize the study, a large number of subjects selected from all regions in Korea will be needed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.467-486
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• 1993

Today, more chronically ill and handicapped people are being cared for at home by a family member caregiver. The task of caring for a family momber may mean that the caregiver has less time and money and more work which may result in increased fatigue and symptoms of illness. This study was done to examine the well-being of family caregivers. Fifty three family caregivers were interviewed. Concepts were measured using existing tools and included : Burden(25 item 5 point scale), Social sup-port (21 item 7 point scale), Health status defined by a symptom checklist(48 item S point scale), and Well -being defined by a quality of life scale (14 item 7 point scale) and caregiving activities. Data collection was done by interview and Q-sort. Social support and well - being were positively correlated as were symptoms and burden. Symptoms and burden were negatively correlated with social support and well-being. Items on the quality of life scale had a mean score range from 3.09 to 4.96. Quality of life related to income was lowest (3.09) but the desire to use more money for the patient was rated 2.90 on the burden scale where the item means ranged from 0.73 to 3.55. The high mean of 3.55 was for obligation to give care and the low 0.73 was (or not feeling that this was helping the patient. Mean scores for symptoms ranged from 0.26 to 2.15 with the 2.15 being for “worry about all the things that have to be done.” Over half of the patients were dependent for help with some activities of daily living. The caregivers reported doing an average of 3.40 out of five patient care activities including bathing (77.4%), shampooing (67.9%), and washing face and hands (49.1％), and 3.74 out of seven home maintenance activities including laundry (98.1％), cooking (83.0%), and arranging bed-ding(75.5%). The caregivers reported their spouse as one of the main sources of social support, including in times of loneliness and anger The mean score for loneliness as burden was 2.15 and ranked fourth and 31 (58.5％) of the sample reported being lonely recently and not being satisfied with the support received. Similarly anger caused by the patient was given a mean score of 2.13, and anger was reported to have been present recently by 38 (71.7%) of the sample and satis-faction with the support given was low. Having someone to help deal with anger ranked twelfth out of 21 items on the social support scale and had a mean score of 3.98 (range 3.49 to 5.98). Spouses were reported as a major source of social support but the fact that 50% of the caregivers were caring for a spouse, may account for the quality of this source of social support having been affected. These caregivers faced the same problems as others at the same stage of life. but because of the situation, there was a strain on their resources, particularly financial and social. In conclusion it was found that burden is correlated negatively to quality of life and positively to symptoms, but in this sample, symptoms and bur-den were scored relatively low. Does this indicate that the caregivers accept caregiving as part of their destiny and accept the quality of their lives with burden and symptoms just being a part of caregiving\ulcorner Does the correlation between the bur-den and symptoms indicate they are a measure of the same phenomenon or that the sample was of a more mobile, less burdened group of caregivers\ulcorner Quality of life was the one variable that was significant in explaining the varience on burden. Further study is needed to validate the conclusions found in this study but they indicate a need for nurses to ap-proach these caregivers with a plan tailored to each individual situation and to give consideration to interventions directed at improving quality of life and expanding social support networks for those caring for spouses.