• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1273-1280
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• 2019

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly population, and damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells due to oxidative stress contributes to the development of AMD. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer is one of the most widely used herbal medicines for the treatment of various diseases in Asian countries. Although recent studies indicated that treatment with G. uralensis can protect cells from oxidative stress, its mechanisms in RPE cells remain unknown. We evaluated the effect of a G. uralensis ethanol extract (GU) on $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative injury in ARPE-19 RPE cells. The GU pretreatment attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by $H_2O_2$, which was associated with induced expression of nuclear factor erythroid-derived-2-like 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). GU also suppressed $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. The inhibitory effect of GU on $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis was associated with the protection of caspase-3 activation. Overall, GU appeared to protect RPE cells from oxidative injury by inhibiting DNA damage and reducing apoptosis. Further studies are needed to determine the regulation of Nrf2-mediated HO-1 expression, but our results suggest the possibility of using GU to reduce the risk of AMD.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.3-27
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• 2018

This paper analyzes Cuba's market-oriented reforms to alleviate essential problems with socialist countries such as soft budget constraints and incentive problems. It also discuss about effectiveness of industrial policy as a development strategy. The soft budget constraints and incentive problems resulted in the collapse of Soviet bloc and COMECON in early 1990s. After the collapse, Cuban economy suffered a steep dive, and national income tumbling down rapidly. Cuban faced serious shortages of food, gasoline, and other basic necessities of life. To halt and partially reverse economic downturn and dire austerity in the 1990's, the Cuban government made some partial reforms to the inherited Soviet system of cental planningand faced severe shortage in food, energy, and daily necessities. In response to the economic crisis. Cuba introduced economic reforms and implemented industrial policy as a development strategy as long as Cuba maintained a strong socialist country. Cuban government established the economic free zone law and attempted to induce foreign direct investment by implementing export-led industrial policy. Fiedel Castro approved the Law No. 165 "Free Zones and Industrial Parks", in 1996. However, Cuba's ESZ strategy seems to have failed because of the U.S. sanctions, but also because of Cuba's own policies, which do not allow foreign investors to hire workers directly and impose a high implicit tax on wages. By limiting advanced techniques of personnel and organization management, indirect employment can result in lowering work efforts and productivity of workers, and aggravating production efficiency in the ESZs. Another reason to fail comes from the double wage structure due to the double monetary-exchange rate system. Most of the high non-wage costs result from the double exchange rate system. Due to Cuba's imbalanced industry and production structures, concentrated labor force, and urbanization and centralization of agriculture production, the industrial transformation development model suggested by Lewis has not been successful unlike other Asian agriculture-led development model. Cuba has to overcome many difficulties in implementing industrial policy as a development strategy.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.105-116
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• 2021

In the city of high population density crowded with buildings, Urban Heat Island (UHI) is intensified, and the city is vulnerable to thermal comfort. The maintenance of vacant land in downtown is treated as a factor that undermines the residential environment, spoils the urban landscape, and decreases the economic vitality of the whole region. Therefore, this study compared the effects on microclimate in the surrounding area according to the development scenarios targeting the vacant land in Songhyeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The status quo, green oriented, building oriented and green-building mediation scenarios were established and ENVI-met was used to compare and analyze the impact of changes in wind speed, air temperature and mean radiant temperature (MRT) within 1 km of the target and the target site. The result of inside and 1 km radius the targeted area showed that the seasonal average temperature decreased and the wind speed increased when the green oriented scenario was compared with the current state one. It was expected that the temperature lowered to -0.73 ℃ or increased to 1.5 ℃ in summer, and the wind speed was affected up to 210 meters depending on the scenario. And it was revealed that green area inside the site generally affects inside area, but the layout and size of the buildings affect either internal and external area. This study is expected to help as a decision-making support tool for developing Songhyeon-dong area and to be used to reflect the part related to microclimate on the future environmental effects evaluation system.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2022

The 1920s and 1930s were when new trends became prominent in Korean housing architecture. This study began with a curiosity about the appearance of residential gardens during the transition period, when housing types were changing. Since gardens are constantly evolving and living spaces, it is not easy to give a clear picture of their evolution. However, through popular magazines and newspaper articles published in the 1920-30s, this study investigated how people perceived the gardens socially and how they engaged in gardening. First, the study of Gyeongseong's urbanization process revealed that people perceived gardens as a way to give natural beauty to the urban environment. Therefore, the creation of a residential garden was strongly encouraged. Second, the housing improvement movement, which the architects actively discussed during this period, emphasized that a garden is a factor that can help improve the quality of the residential environment in terms of hygiene and landscape aesthetics. Third, since the media provided information on gardening, it was confirmed that the number of people engaged in gardening as a hobby increased. As designers and gardeners who had received a modern education became more active, the concept of "designed gardens" was formed. Lastly, although the houses were divided into various types, the shapes of the gardens did not show a significant difference according to the architecture type. They tended to embrace the time's ideal garden design and style. Therefore, even in a traditional hanok, Western-style gardens were naturally harmonized into the overall architecture, and exotic plant species could be found. Although the gardens found in media images were limited to those belonging to the homes of the intelligentsia, it can be seen that representativeness was secured, considering the popularity and ripple effect of the media. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature as it confirmed the ideal gardens and gardening methods in the 1920s and 30s.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.253-261
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between transformative leadership, team cohesion, and team performance of Chinese university taekwondo leaders. Specifically, it is to investigate the effect of transformative leadership on team cohesion and team performance and to verify the mediating effect of team cohesion in the relationship between transformative leadership and team performance. In order to achieve the research purpose, a total of 350 people were sampled after setting taekwondo leaders at Chinese universities as a population. The measurement tool used in this study was a questionnaire consisting of 5 items on demographic characteristics, a total of 19 questions on transformational leadership, 10 questions on team cohesion, and 4 questions on team performance. The validity of the questionnaire was verified through exploratory factor analysis, and the reliability was verified through reliability analysis. The reliability Cronbach's α of the questionnaire was found to be α=0.755-0.799 for transformative leadership, α=0.848, and α=0.740 for team performance. As the data processing method, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis, one-way analysis (one-way ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis were used using SPSS WIN. The conclusions derived through the above research methods and procedures are as follows. First, the transformative leadership of Taekwondo leaders at Chinese universities influenced team cohesion. Second, the transformative leadership of Taekwondo leaders at Chinese universities influenced team performance. Third, the team cohesiveness of Taekwondo leaders at Chinese universities influenced team performance. Fourth, the transformative leadership of Taekwondo leaders at Chinese universities not only directly affects team performance, but also indirectly affects team cohesion. Therefore, it is believed that Chinese Taekwondo players will help improve their performance by affecting team cohesion and team performance for the best games through the leader's variable leadership.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.528-536
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a weekly teriparatide on the change in vertebral compression ratio, back pain, and vertebral fracture healing in osteoporosis patients with vertebral compression fractured induced by low energy trauma. Materials and Methods: From January 2016 to December 2017, 57 patients with severe osteoporotic vertebral fractures with a T score of -3.5 or less were included in this study. The changes in the vertebral compression ratio, visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) for at least 6 months were examined. The morphology of bone marrow edema and the presence of intervertebral cleft, osteocalcin, and N-terminal telopeptide (NTx) were also investigated. Results: The mean compression ratio was 20% in the experimental group (teripratide group) at 3 months, and 38% in the control group. A significant difference in the compression ratio of the vertebral body over time was observed (p<0.05; t-test). A comparison of the compression ratio of the vertebral body with the follow-up duration in each group showed no significant increase in the, compression (p=0.063) in the experimental group and a significant increase in the control group (p<0.05). The mean time to reach the plateau of the compression rate was one month in the experimental group and three months in the control group. The VAS score in the experimental and control group was 0.39 and 1.07 points, respectively. The ODI score in the experimental and control group was 33.72 and 39.52, respectively. At the last follow-up radiographs, there were no cases with an intervertebral cleft (0%) in the experimental group and 1 case (2.2%) in the control group. A significant difference in the osteocalcin level was observed between the injury and 6 months after the injury (p=0.003). In addition, there was no significant difference in the NTx level between the injury and 6 months after injury (p=0.960). Conclusion: In vertebral compression fractures patients with severe osteoporosis, a weekly teriparatide can promote the union of fractures, prevent further collapse of the vertebral body, and reduce the back pain faster.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.5D
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• pp.523-531
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• 2010

A dam is effective in stable supply of water required in daily life and reduced damage from floods, but there are problems as a lot of land or houses are submerged. Therefore many projects have been conducted in order to improve and support daily life environment surrounding a dam. This study has focused on analyzing how to calculate support working expenses for Dam area by using GIS spatial overlay in addition to effects of scale of a topographic map and reached the following conclusion. First, as a result of areal error in submerged area by scale based on a 1/3,000 digital topographic map, it has been found that a 1/5,000 digital topographic map is 9.5 times more accurate than a 1/25,000 digital topographic map in the total of areal error. Second, as a result of areal error in area surrounding a dam, it has been found that a 1/5,000 digital topographic map is 7.4 times more accurate than a 1/25,000 digital topographic map in the total of areal error. Third, as a result of error of support expense for submerged area, it has been found that a 1/5,000 digital topographic is 15.9 times, 14.7 times and 15.9 times more effective than a 1/25,000 digital topographic map in terms of the total error of support expense, standard error and the total support expense error on the entire project costs in submerged area. In addition, as a result of analysis on error of support expense for area surrounding a dam, it has been found that a 1/5,000 digital topographic map was 10.7 times, 9.6 times and 10.6 times more effective, respectively, in the total error of support expense, standard error and the total error of support expense for the entire project costs in area surrounding a dam compared to a 1/25,000 digital topographic map. Lastly, as a result of error of the entire project costs for area surrounding a dam, it has been found that a 1/5,000 digital topographic map was 1.4 times, 1.3 times and 1.4 times more effective, respectively, in the total error of support expense, standard error and the total error of the entire project costs compared to a 1/25,000 digital topographic map, but it was not much different from the result of calculating areal error in submerged area or area surrounding a dam because population item didn't consider areal concept.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.411-424
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasible policy directions for sports welfare that can not only improve the standard of living through health but also ensure a happy and enjoyable life for the people of Gangwon Province. For this purpose, I have conducted studies such as the analysis on the sports class voucher project being implemented by the South Korean government and the case analysis in sports welfare, and present policy directions as follows. First of all, it is about upgrading the sports class voucher project. And as its implementation plans, I suggest ① increased publicity, ② the earmarking of the province's own budget for the sports class voucher project, ③ the establishment of a system for cooperation for work implementation between the related organizations and their staff in charge with a view to activating the sports class voucher project, and ④ the upgraded services for the sports class voucher project and the upgraded access to the life cycle-based universal welfare. Second, it is about using public sports facilities and developing various programs. I suggest the active utilization of the public sports facilities that enable people to learn the skills for such sports disciplines as baseball, badminton, ice sports, and golf and the development and distribution of distinctive educational programs for dance for media entertainment shows for female youths, climbing, cheer leading, fencing, surfing and horseback riding. Third, it is about nurturing the human resources and networking. For this, I suggest the creation of 'Sports Welfare Specialist Training Program' and the training of the college students majoring in sports science with the aim of creating a number of jobs. Fourth, it is about refurbishing the system and establishing the support system. I suggest the dismantling of the partitions in the welfare policy related to sports activities and the formation of (tentatively named) 'Gangwon Province Sports Welfare Implementation Committee', and the creation of (tentatively named) 'Sports Welfare Project Support Team' in Health, Welfare & Women's Affairs Bureau or Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau in the short term and then its long-term expansion into (tentatively named) 'Gangwon Province Sports Welfare Support Center' in responding to the needs that reflect the provincial demographics, with a view to establishing a single lineup for the administrative support system. Furthermore, as budget and manpower are needed to realize customized sports welfare that suits the characteristics of the province and in which all the provincial residents can collect benefits, I suggest that the province provide the legal basis through creating 'Ordinance Promoting Sports Welfare in Gangwon Province' and pushing forward with (tentatively named) 'Gangwon Province Sports Welfare Competition' as what revises the sports class voucher project for the purpose of broadening the basis for sports welfare promotion.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1036-1045
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• 2023

Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by the insidious loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, represents a significant and growing healthcare challenge, impacting the mobility and quality of life of aging populations worldwide. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of soybean leaf extract (SL) for dexamethasone (Dexa)-induced muscle atrophy in vitro and in an in vivo model. In vitro experiments showed that SL significantly alleviated Dexa-induced atrophy in C2C12 myotube cells, as evidenced by preserved myotube morphology, density, and size. Moreover, SL treatment significantly reduced the mRNA and protein levels of muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), key factors regulating muscle atrophy. In a Dexa-induced atrophy mouse model, SL administration significantly inhibited Dexa-induced weight loss and muscle wasting, preserving the mass of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles. Furthermore, mice treated with SL exhibited significant improvements in muscle function compared to their counterparts suffering from Dexa-induced muscle atrophy, as evidenced by a notable increase in grip strength and extended endurance on treadmill tests. Moreover, SL suppressed the expression of muscle atrophy-related proteins in skeletal muscle, highlighting its protective role against Dexa-induced muscle atrophy. These results suggest that SL has potential as a natural treatment for muscle-wasting conditions, such as sarcopenia.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2024

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the association between lifestyle factors and risk of frailty and depressive symptoms among older South Korean adults. Methods : This study included 10,072 individuals aged 65 or older from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans, a cohort of community-dwelling older South Koreans. The following lifestyle factors were assessed: physical activity, nutrition management (NM), and leisure/social activity participation (AP). Frailty was measured using the frail scale and depressive symptoms were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the odds ratios. Results : All lifestyle factors were associated with the risk of frailty and depressive symptoms in the study population. Regular exercise (≥3 times/wk, odds ratio [OR] = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.52~0.91; OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.59~0.75), active NM (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.80~0.91; OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.76~0.86), leisure AP (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.74~0.84; OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.66~0.77) and social AP (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.88~0.96; OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.78~0.87) were correlated with lower odds ratios of frailty and depressive symptoms. Conclusion : Adopting a healthier lifestyle characterized by regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and active engagement in various activities can effectively reduce the risk of frailty and depressive symptoms among the older population. Ultimately, this study emphasized the essential role of lifestyle choices in promoting the physical and mental well-being of older adults.