• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2024

Objectives : This study aims to explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly residents in the relatively stable rural areas of Jeju and to examine the relationships between levels of depression, sociodemographic factors, and health habits. Methods : The study site was within rural Jeju, where elderly individuals aged 65 and older were randomly selected from the 'Agricultural Cohort' registered at the Centers for Farmers' Safety and Health Center. Trained interviewers conducted surveys using the Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale (sGDS-K), defining those with scores of 6 or above as experiencing depressive symptoms for the analysis. Other variables such as sex, age, educational level, marital status, annual income, subjective health status, underlying disease, perceived stress levels, smoking, and drinking status were also recorded Results : Out of 533 subjects, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 35.3%, with 28.5% in male and 45.6% in female (p<0.001). Factors significantly associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms included marital status (p=0.014), educational level (p<0.001), annual income (p=0.034), subjective health status (p<0.001), perceived stress level (p<0.001), feeling of despair (p<0.001) and suicidal ideas (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that subjective health status, perceived stress level, and feelings of despair were associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms. Conclusions : The high prevalence of depressive symptoms among the rural elderly in Jeju highlights the need for targeted mental health interventions. Addressing sociocultural factors and improving early detection and intervention strategies can help reduce the socioeconomic impact of depression in this population.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) is an economically important root crop and a valuable source of nutrients, processed foods, animal feeds, and pigment materials. However, during post-harvest storage, storage roots of sweet potatoes are susceptible to decay caused by various microorganisms and diseases. Post-harvest curing is the most effective means of healing wounds and preventing spoilage by microorganisms during storage. In this study, we aimed to identify proteins involved in the molecular mechanisms related to curing and study proteomic changes during the post-curing storage period. For this purpose, changes in protein spots were analyzed through 2D-electrophoresis after treatment at 33℃ (curing) and 15℃ (control) for three days, followed by a storage period of eight weeks. As a result, we observed 31 differentially expressed protein spots between curing and control groups, among which 15 were identified. Among the identified proteins, the expression level of 'alpha-amylase (spot 1)' increased only after the curing treatment, whereas the expression levels of 'probable aldo-keto reductase 2-like (spot 3)' and 'hypothetical protein CHGG_01724 (spot 4)' increased in both the curing and control groups. However, the expression level of 'sporamin A (spot 10)' decreased in both the curing and control treatments. In the control treatment, the expression level of 'enolase (spot 14)' increased, but the expression levels of 'chain A of actinidin-E-64 complex+ (spot 19)', 'ascorbate peroxidase (spot 22)', and several 'sporamin proteins (spot 20, 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 31)' decreased. These results are expected to help identify proteins related to the curing process in sweet potato storage roots, understand the mechanisms related to disease resistance during post-harvest storage, and derive candidate genes to develop new varieties with improved low-temperature storage capabilities in the future.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2024

Multi-family housing plays a crucial role as a living and experiencing space, and its environment has a direct impact on the well-being and stability of its residents. Therefore, Crime Prevention Design (CPTED) for multi-family housing is of utmost importance. However, crime-related data in China is not disclosed to the public because of its specificity, making it difficult for researchers to conduct further in-depth studies based on accurate crime data. As a result, the establishment and application of CPTED theory in terms of crime prevention is limited and delayed. This study aims to explore three aspects of CPTED in multi-family housing as perceived by home-buying consumers. It investigated consumer perception of the CPTED, the importance of each element and ways to increase awareness of CPTED in multifamily housing in order to effectively improve multifamily crime prevention design principles and further enhance public safety. This study examined the current state and future trends of CPTED in China by analyzing relevant research reports and literature, aiming to gain insights into the crime prevention awareness of Chinese homeowners. In addition, a survey was conducted on Chinese consumers to unravel the importance of CPTED and increase awareness of its various elements in multifamily-family. This study used a Likert scale and SPSS reliability analysis to determine the cognitive status of multi-family CPTED, the importance of each element, and proposed an improvement plan based on the analysis results. As this study was limited by the difficulty of implementation and the lack of validation of its practical effectiveness, it is recommended that future research needs to validate the effectiveness of crime prevention designs and produce more practical results. Furthermore, it is crucial to utilize this study to inform the implementation of security solutions that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each district. Additionally, it is important to offer guidance on how to enhance community safety by increasing residents' awareness of security through education and information dissemination. The author hopes that the representative multi-family CPTED awareness, the importance of each element, and plans for improvement shall be summarized from this study, and provide foundational data for the future development of CPTED based on the Chinese region.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.155-169
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• 2023

Jerusalem artichoke (JA, Helianthus tuberosus L.) has a great potential to enhance the quality of yakju due to the plentiful inulin content which is functional and indigestible carbohydrate in human. In this study, the optimal preparation conditions such as the added amount and steam treatment of JA were investigated to improve the quality of yakju. As the amount of JA added to yakju increased, alcohol production decreased, whereas fermentation was performed well when the steam-cooked JA was added to yakju. The pH and total acidity of yakju decreased and increased, respectively, when the amount of JA added to yakju increased, whereas pH and total acidity of yakju increased and decreased, respectively, when the steam-cooked JA was added to yakju. The free sugar and organic acid contents of yakju increased and decreased, respectively, when the amount of JA added to yakju increased, whereas those of yakju decreased when the steam-cooked JA was added to Yakju. Amino acid content of JA decreased as the amount of JA added to yakju increased and that of JA significantly decreased when the steam-cooked JA was added to yakju. In the sensory evaluation analysis, the addition of 10% unsteam-cooked JA to yakju was the best when considering sweetness, flavor, sourness, and overall preference of yakju supplemented with JA. Consequently, utilizing JA to yakju may contribute to the improvement of the quality of yakju.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.2
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• pp.406-416
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• 2021

Purpose To evaluate the association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based texture parameters and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutation in patients with non-mucinous rectal cancer. Materials and Methods Seventy-nine patients who had pathologically confirmed rectal non-mucinous adenocarcinoma with or without KRAS-mutation and had undergone rectal MRI were divided into a training (n = 46) and validation dataset (n = 33). A texture analysis was performed on the axial T2-weighted images. The association was statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. To extract an optimal cut-off value for the prediction of KRAS mutation, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed. The cut-off value was verified using the validation dataset. Results In the training dataset, skewness in the mutant group (n = 22) was significantly higher than in the wild-type group (n = 24) (0.221 ± 0.283; -0.006 ± 0.178, respectively, p = 0.003). The area under the curve of the skewness was 0.757 (95% confidence interval, 0.606 to 0.872) with a maximum accuracy of 71%, a sensitivity of 64%, and a specificity of 78%. None of the other texture parameters were associated with KRAS mutation (p > 0.05). When a cut-off value of 0.078 was applied to the validation dataset, this had an accuracy of 76%, a sensitivity of 86%, and a specificity of 68%. Conclusion Skewness was associated with KRAS mutation in patients with non-mucinous rectal cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.685-698
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify binge-eating behavior and food addiction in Korean population and to determine their associations with obesity, eating behaviors, mental health and cognitive characteristics. We collected clinical questionnaire scores related to eating problems (e.g. binge eating, food addiction, food cravings), mental health (e.g. depression), and cognitive functions (e.g. impulsivity, emotion regulation) in 257 Korean adults in the normal and the obese weight ranges. Binge-eating and food addiction were most frequent in obese women (binge-eating: 46.6%, food addiction: 29.3%) when we divided the participants into 4 groups depending on gender and obesity status. The independence test using the data with propensity score matching confirmed that binge-eating and food addiction were more prevalent in obese individuals. Finally, we constructed the logistic regression models using forward selection method to evaluate the influence of various clinical questionnaire scores on binge-eating and food addiction respectively. Binge-eating was significantly associated with the clinical scales of eating disorders, food craving, state anxiety, and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) as well as food addiction. Food addiction demonstrated the significant effect of food craving, binge-eating, the interaction of obesity and age, and years of education. In conclusion, we found that binge-eating and food addiction are much more frequent in females and obese individuals. Both binge-eating and food addiction commonly involved eating problems (e.g. food craving), but there was difference in mental health and cognitive risk factors. Therefore, it is required to distinguish food addiction from binge-eating and investigate intrinsic and environmental risk factors for each pathology.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2024

Macromia daimoji Okumura, 1949 was designated as an endangered species and also categorized as Class II Endangered wildlife on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in Korea. The spatial distribution of this species ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Sacheon-si(35.1°) to Yeoncheon-gun(38.0°) and eastern longitude from Yeoncheon-gun(126.8°) to Yangsan-si(128.9°). They generally prefer microhabitats such as slowly flowing littoral zones of streams, alluvial stream islands and temporarily formed puddles in the sand-based lowland streams. The objectives of this study were to analyze the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in M. daimoji habitats, to predict the current potential distribution patterns as well as the changes of distribution ranges under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from April 2009 to September 2022. We adopted MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution for M. daimoji using downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. The differences of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mainstream of Nakdonggang were smaller than those in its tributaries and the other streams, based on the surrounding environments and stream sizes. MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution displayed high inhabiting probability in Nakdonggang and its tributaries. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SSP1 scenario was predicted to expand in a wide area and SSP5 scenario in a narrow area, comparing with current potential distribution. M. daimoji is not only directly threatened by physical disturbances (e.g. river development activities) but also vulnerable to rapidly changing climate circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the habitat environments and establish conservation strategies for preserving population of M. daimoji.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2024

Objective : The purpose of this study was to confirm the characteristics and quality of a single-subject research that conducted interventions to improve activities of daily living (ADL) in stroke patients. Methods : 'Stroke,' 'activities of daily living,' and 'single-subject studies' were searched as keywords among papers published in the last 15 years between 2009 and 2023 among Research Information Sharing Service, DBpia, and e-articles. A total of nine papers were examined for the characteristics and quality before analysis. Results : The independent variables applied to improve ADL included constraint-induced therapy, mental practice for performing functional activities, virtual reality-based task training, subjective postural vertical training without visual feedback, bilateral upper limb movement, core stability training program, traditional occupational therapy and neurocognitive rehabilitation, smooth pursuit eye movement, neck muscle vibration, and occupation-based community rehabilitation. Assessment of Motor and Process Skills was the most common evaluation tool for measuring dependent variables, with four articles, and Modified Barthel Index and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure were two articles each. As a result of confirming the qualitative level of the analyzed papers, out of a total of nine studies, seven studies were at a high level, two at a moderate level, and none were at a low level. Conclusion : Various types of rehabilitation treatments have been actively applied as intervention methods to improve the daily life activities of stroke patients; the quality level of single-subject studies applying ADL interventions was reliable.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.304-312
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• 2024

This study was conducted to characterize strain Y10, isolated from discarded chicken feathers. Strain Y10 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens through phenotypic and 16S rRNA gene analysis. B. amyloliquefaciens Y10 exhibited plant growth-promoting activities, including the production of fungal cell-degrading enzymes (cellulase, lipase, protease, and pectinase), siderophores, ammonia, and indoleacetic acid. Furthermore, strain Y10 was able to inhibit the mycelial growth of several phytopathogenic fungi. When 0.1% sucrose as a carbon source and 0.05% casein as a nitrogen source were added to the basal medium, adjusted to pH 10, and cultured at 35℃, the degradation rate of chicken feathers by strain Y10 was about two times higher than that of the basal medium, with the feathers almost completely degraded in four days. Strain Y10 also degraded various keratin substrates, including duck feathers, wool, and human nails. It was confirmed that the feather hydrolyzates prepared using strain Y10 exhibited antioxidant activities, such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (EC₅₀ = 0.38 mg/ml) and superoxide dismutase-like activity (EC₅₀ = 183.7 mg/ml). These results suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens Y10 is a potential candidate for the development of bioinoculants and feed additives applicable to the agricultural and livestock industries, as well as the microbiological treatment of keratin waste.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.112-126
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• 2022

Purpose To determine the value of 3 Tesla (T) MRI texture analysis for predicting tumor margin infiltration in soft tissue sarcomas. Materials and Methods Thirty-one patients who underwent 3T MRI and had a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma were included in this study. Margin infiltration on pathology was used as the gold standard. Texture analysis of soft tissue sarcomas was performed on axial T1-weighted images (WI) and T2WI, fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced (CE) T1WI, diffusion-weighted images (DWI) with b-value of 800 s/mm², and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was mapped. Quantitative parameters were compared between sarcomas with infiltrative margins and those with circumscribed margins. Results Among the 31 patients with soft tissue sarcomas, 23 showed tumor margin infiltration on pathology. There were significant differences in kurtosis with the spatial scaling factor (SSF) of 0 and 6 on T1WI, kurtosis (SSF, 0) on CE-T1WI, skewness (SSF, 0) on DWI, and skewness (SSF, 2, 4) on ADC between sarcomas with infiltrative margins and those with circumscribed margins (p ≤ 0.046). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve based on MR texture features for identification of infiltrative tumor margins was 0.951 (p < 0.001). Conclusion MR texture analysis is reliable and accurate for the prediction of infiltrative margins of soft tissue sarcomas.