• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of hospital-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on exercise capacity and quality of life as well as barriers to participation in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in South Korea. Design: One-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: A total of 14 patients were enrolled in this study in an 8-week PR program with two 60-minute sessions per week. The program included: flexibility exercises, breathing techniques, strengthening exercises, and aerobic exercises. The outcomes were defined as changes in the variables before and after the PR program. A change in the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) was defined as the primary outcome, and changes in pulmonary function test, respiratory and grip strength, and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) about quality-of-life results were secondary outcomes. A dropout was defined as missing >3 of the 16 sessions. Results: Patients who completed the program showed a significant improvement of 43.57±39.43 m in the 6MWD (p<0.05), but no significant differences were noted for the other function tests. The SGRQ showed a significant improvement in the activity and total score (p<0.05). The total dropout rate was 53.3%. Newly developed symptoms, exacerbation of COPD, transport problems, and lack of motivation were major barriers to PR. Conclusions: Our study showed that an 8-week hospital-based PR program improved exercise capacity and quality of life but had a high dropout rate in individuals with COPD. Since comprehensive PR has only recently been established in South Korea, patient motivation and education are critical.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2023

Objectives: The budget gap in the health sector of local governments affects the supply of health services, which can cause the health gap. This study classified local governments according to their financial characteristics, such as local financial independence and health budget level. It analyzed the health behaviors and disease prevalence of local residents to examine the effect of local government financial investment on the health of local residents. Methods: To classify types according to the financial characteristics of local governments, financial independence and the health budget data for 17 local governments were collected from the local fiscal yearbook of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. The prevalence of chronic diseases and healthy behavior was compared using the 16,333 data of adults between the ages of 30 and 65 years among the original data of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2020). Results: Cluster analysis was used to classify local governments into five clusters according to the health financial capacity type. A comparison of the prevalence of local residents by cluster revealed a similar prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. On the other hand, the obesity rate (P < 0.01), high-risk drinking rate (P < 0.01), aerobic physical activity rate (P < 0.001), and healthy eating practice rate (P < 0.001) were significantly different. In addition, an analysis of the odds ratio based on the Seoul area revealed a higher risk of health behavior of non-Seoul residents. Conclusions: It is necessary to review the universal health promotion project budget considering the degree of regional financial vulnerability from the viewpoint of health equity to narrow the health gap among regions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-51
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• 2022

PURPOSE: The functional limitations in stroke survivors promote sedentary lifestyles and quality of life inadequacies, but there is increasing evidence that this could be minimized by physical exercise. Therefore, this study examined the effects of physical exercise on the quality of life (QoL) and functional capacity (ability to stand up from a sitting position) among stroke survivors drafted from two tertiary hospitals in Osogbo, Nigeria. METHODS: A purposive sampling technique was used to select 21 registered right or left outpatient hemiplegic stroke survivors in a pre- and post-test experimental research design. The research questions were presented using descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, while an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the study hypothesis at the .05 alpha level for significance. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline (week 0), there were significant increases in the general quality of life, healthy well-being, physical exercise, pain perception, and environmental domains of QOL among the survivors in week four. Moreover, a significant increase was observed in these indices in week eight, compared to week four, except for the pain perception domain. Compared to the baseline, there was a significant decrease in the time it took the stroke survivors to stand up from a sitting position in week four. A significant decrease was observed in this index in week eight compared to week four. CONCLUSION: Marked corridor 20 meters brief walking exercise for eight weeks significantly improved the quality of life and ability to stand up from a sitting position in stroke survivors in Osogbo, Nigeria.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.437-443
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• 2010

This study was designed to examine the aerobic capacity and ventilatory response during an incremental exercise in elite high school cyclists. Twelve boys ($17{\pm}1\;yr$, $175{\pm}5\;cm$, $70{\pm}9\;kg$) participated in anthropometric measurements, incremental exercise testing, and pulmonary function tests. During incremental exercise testing using a cycle ergometer, their maximal oxygen uptake ($VO_2max$), maximal power output, ventilation, ventilatory equivalents for oxygen ($V_E/VO_2$) and carbon dioxide ($V_E/VCO_2$), respiratory rate, and tidal volume were measured. Time variables such as inspiratory time (Ti), expiratory time (Te), breathing time (Tb), and inspiratory duty cycle (Ti/Tb), as well as inspiratory flow rate ($V_T$/Ti) were assessed. Pulmonary function of vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$), $FEV_1$/FVC, and peak expiratory flow were evaluated. Their $VO_2max$, maximal heart rate, and Wmax were $57.5{\pm}3.9\;ml{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}min^{-1}$, $194.1{\pm}8.6\;beat{\cdot}min^{-1}$, and 452 W, respectively. $VO_2max$ was not related to any anthropometric parameters. Most ventilatory variables progressively increased with exercise intensity. As intensity increased, Ti, Tb, Tb decreased while Ti/Tb was maintained. Below an intensity of 250 W, height, weight, body mass index, and body surface were highly correlated with $V_T$/Ti and Ti/Tb (p<0.05). Collectively, $VO_2max$ appeared to be lower than adult cyclists, suggesting a different pattern of ventilatory control as age advances. Morphological characteristics were not related to $VO_2max$ in the population. Time variables of ventilatory response seemed to be related only at an exercise intensity level of less than 250 W. $V_T$/Ti may be related to exercise endurance capacity, but Ti/Tb was similar to adult cyclists.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1127-1134
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• 2009

Escherichia coli excretes acetate during aerobic growth on glycolytic carbon sources, which has been explained as an overflow metabolism when the carbon flux into the cell exceeds the capacity of central metabolic pathways. Nonacetogenic growth of E. coli on gluconeogenic carbon sources like succinate or in carbon-limited slow growth conditions is believed an evidence for the explanation. However, we found that a strain defected in the acs (acetyl Co-A synthetase) gene, the product of which is involved in scavenging acetate, accumulated acetate even in succinate medium and in carbon-limited low growth rate condition, where as its isogenic parental strain did not. The acs promoter was inducible in noncatabolite repression condition, whereas the expression of the ackA-pta operon encoding acetate kinase and phosphotransacetylase for acetate synthesis was constitutive. Results in this study suggest that E. coli excretes and scavenges acetate simultaneously in the carbon-limited low growth condition and in nonacetogenic carbon source, and the activity of the acetate consumption pathway directly affects the accumulation level of acetate in the culture broth.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.212-221
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• 2020

This work discusses the palm oil mill processing carried out at Jugra Palm Oil Mill Sdn Bhd, situated at Selangor, Malaysia with the capacity of 45-t fresh fruit bunch (FFB)/h. Typically, oil palm residues and palm oil mill effluent (POME) from FFB are generated while processing. Prior to discharge, POME should be treated to remove pollutants in the effluent. As such, the performances of anaerobic and aerobic ponds were assessed in this study to determine temperature, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), sludge volume index (SVI), and dissolved oxygen (DO). From the experiments, mesophilic temperature due to better process stability was applied in anaerobic ponds. The pH results displayed a fluctuating trend between lower control limit and upper control limit, and, the pH value increased from one pond to another. The final discharge BOD and SVI appeared to be lower than 100 mg/L and 10 mL/L indicating low degree of pollution and good settling ability for biomass/solid. DO was close to normal, mostly below 2 mg/L. The experimental outcomes revealed the effective treatability of POME in adherence to the standard regulation, which is the priority for environmental sustainability within this industry domain.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2002

A pilot scale SBR (effective volume, $20m^3$) for the treatment of piggery wastewater treatment was performed with three different kinds of wastewater; fermenter effluent, scraper type and slurry type. The react phase in SBR was performed by sub-cycle operation consisting of repeated short cycle of anoxic-aerobic step. The fermenter effluent was characterized by the rapid nitrification and $NO_X-N$ accumulation due to depletion of organic matter in wastewater. The scraper type wastewater showed appropriate nitrogen removal efficiency, however, a poor response capacity for high loading rate often resulted in increased nitrogen concentration in effluent. Moreover, severe P release was the most serious problem in scraper type wastewater. SBR treated slurry type wastewater with high nitrogen removal efficiency to satisfy effluent quality requirement. It was thought that high concentration of organic matter in slurry made it possible to uptake P during SBR operation, where P concentration of 140mgP/l was decreased to 8mgP/l. As results, SBR was suitable to treat slurry type wastewater which has been discharged to the ocean till now.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2007

Fatigue is a significant problem in health care. The relationship between chronic fatigue and psychiatric disorders has generated significant interest in recent years. Increased rates of psychiatric disorder among individuals with chronic fatigue have been reported. Fatigue may be defined as physical and/or mental weariness resulting from exertion. The cause of fatigue is complex, influenced by events occurring in both the periphery and the central nervous system. Because fatigue may result from a number of causes, it should be treated comprehensively. The treatment is largely symptomatic and rehabilitative.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.594-601
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• 2010

Azotobacter chroococcum H23 (CECT 4435), Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, and Azotobacter vinelandii (ATCC 12837), members of the family Pseudomonadaceae, were used to evaluate their capacity to grow and accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo) diluted at different concentrations as the sole carbon source. The PHAs amounts (g/l) increased clearly when the TPOMW samples were previously digested under anaerobic conditions. The MNR analysis demonstrated that the bacterial strains formed only homopolymers containing $\beta$-hydroxybutyrate, either when grown in diluted TPOMW medium or diluted anaerobically digested TPOMW medium. COD values of the diluted anaerobically digested waste were measured before and after the aerobic PHA-storing phase, and a clear reduction (72%) was recorded after 72 h of incubation. The results obtained in this study suggest the perspectives for using these bacterial strains to produce PHAs from TPOMW, and in parallel, contribute efficiently to the bioremediation of this waste. This fact seems essential if bioplastics are to become competitive products.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.518-528
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• 2017

Quality characteristics of frozen cylindrical pork loin were evaluated following different tempering methods: 27.12 MHz curved-electrode radio frequency (RF) at 1000 and 1500 W, and forced-air convection (FC) or water immersion (WI) at $4^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$. The developed RF tempering system with the newly designed curved-electrode achieved relatively uniform tempering compared to a parallel-plate RF system. FC tempering at $4^{\circ}C$ was the most time-consuming process, whereas 1500 W RF was the shortest. Pork sample drip loss, water holding capacity, color, and microbiological quality declined after WI tempering at $20^{\circ}C$. Conversely, RF tempering yielded minimal sample changes in drip loss, microstructure, color, and total aerobic bacteria counts, along with relatively uniform internal sample temperature distributions compared to those of the other tempering treatments. These results indicate that curved-electrode RF tempering could be used to provide rapid defrosting with minimal quality deterioration of cylindrical frozen meat block products.