• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.417-428
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• 1993

Branching growth pattern of Mugnolza denuduta is likely to be originated from two growth strategies: environment overcoming strategy and life maintenance strategy, which coexist in a tree. Growth rate of branches was strongly correlated with relative light intensity (P<0.001) and physical contact (P<0.01), however there is no significant correlation between growth rate and direction of branch. When relative light intensity is less than 1%, the growth was restricted by physical contact with the surrounding branches. In contrast, the growth was rarely restricted by physical contact when relative light intensitiy was 10% or more. The branching rate was significantly affected by the presence or absence of physical contact (P<0.05), but it was not significantly affected by relative light intensity nor by the direction of branch. In the beginning stage of the growth, the ratio of the material allocation from main branch to subbranch was large and varied with the influence of surrounding environment. These various growth rates, which implicate a variety of material allocation ratios (0.16~0.98), affect branch growth pattern through the optimum growth strategies. The growth and arrangement of branches of Magnolia denudata display the solar collectors to maximize the total amount of energy absorbed and to overcome the restriction of the environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.525-532
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different loading swimming exercises on muscle recovery after sciatic nerve crush injury in rats. METHODS: For this study, thirty-one Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into five groups. There were the negative control group (NCG, n=5), the positive control group (PCG, n=7), the low intensity swimming exercise group (LISEG, n=7), the moderate intensity swimming exercise group (MISEG, n=7) and the high intensity swimming exercise group (HISEG, n=5). Each rat was weighed to determine the lead weight to be attached to the base of its tail. Subsequently, the PCG, the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG were underwent standard unilateral sciatic nerve crush. The LISEG (no load), the MISEG (lead weight equivalent to 2% average body mass) and the HISEG (lead weight equivalent to 4% average body mass) were received the 10 minute swimming exercise in a day for 10 days. The NCG and PCG were not received with any therapeutic intervention. The diameter of the calf muscle and the level of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured to detect the effects of the swimming exercise. RESULT: The maximum diameter of the calf muscles was significantly increased after seventh swimming exercise in the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG compared with the PCG (p<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG. Also, the level of the serum LDH was significantly decreased in the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG compared with the PCG (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that swimming exercise could accelerate muscle recovery processes after crush injury, but the different intensity of the swimming exercise does not affect healing processes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2012

From July 2008 to June 2009, livers of the swamp eels (Monopterus alba) were investigated for advanced third-stage larvae (AL3) of Gnathostoma spinigerum. Results revealed that 10.2% (106/1,037) and 20.4% (78/383) of farmed eels from Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province and those of wild-caught eels obtained from a market in Min Buri District of Bangkok, Thailand were infected, respectively. The prevalence was high during the rainy and winter seasons. The infection rate abruptly decreased in the beginning of summer. The highest infection rate (13.7%) was observed in September and absence of infection (0%) in March-April in the farmed eels. Whereas, in the wild-caught eels, the highest rate (30.7%) was observed in November, and the rate decreased to the lowest at 6.3% in March. The average no. (mean${\pm}$SE) of AL3 per investigated liver in farmed eels ($1.1{\pm}0.2$) was significantly lower (P=0.040) than those in the caught eels ($0.2{\pm}0.03$). In addition, the intensity of AL3 recovered from each infected liver varied from 1 to 18 ($2.3{\pm}0.3$) in the farmed eels and from 1 to 47 ($6.3{\pm}1.2$) in the caught eels, respectively. The AL3 intensity showed significant difference (P=0.011) between these 2 different sources of eels. This is the first observation that farmed eels showed positive findings of G. spinigerum infective larvae. This may affect the standard farming of the culture farm and also present a risk of consuming undercooked eels from the wild-caught and farmed eels.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2014

This study aims to elucidate the relative importance of geological characteristics, soil slope, and rainfall intensity in relation to soil erosion. To this end, indoor rainfall simulation experiments were carried out under different conditions of rainfall intensities, soil slope, and geological characteristics. The test results show that the factors affect soil erosion in the order of soil slope > rainfall intensity > organic content in the soil. Erosion rates were proportional to rainfall, and increase with increasing clay content. Therefore, the soil erosion rate increases strongly with increasing organic content and clay content. The results show that the soil erosion rate in areas of metamorphic rocks shows a marked increase compared with areas of steep slope and sedimentary rocks. These results indicate that the geological characteristics to produce soil are closely related to sedimentation before and after erosion, providing basic information for the development of models to predict soil erosion rates.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.811-823
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• 2021

Objective: Eggshell color is an important indicator of egg quality for consumers, especially for brown eggs. Various factors related to laying hens and their environment affect brown eggshell coloration. However, there have been no studies investigating hepatic functions of laying hens with variable intensity of brown eggshell color. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify potential factors affecting brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens at the hepatic transcriptomic level. Methods: Five hundred 92-wk-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were screened to select laying hens with different intensity of brown eggshell color based on eggshell color fans. Based on eggshell color scores, hens with dark brown eggshells (DBE; eggshell color fan score = 14.8) and hens with light brown eggshells (LBE; eggshell color fan score = 9.7) were finally selected for the liver sampling. We performed RNA-seq analysis using the liver samples through the paired-end sequencing libraries. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) profiling was carried out to identify their biological meaning by bioinformatics. Results: A total of 290 DEGs were identified with 196 being up-regulated and 94 being down-regulated in DBE groups as compared to LBE groups. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that these DEGs belong to several biological pathways including herpes simplex infection (toll-like receptor 3 [TLR3], cyclin-dependent kinase 1, etc.) and influenza A (TLR3, radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2, myxovirus [influenza virus] resistance 1, etc.). Genes related to stress response (ceremide kinase like) and nutrient metabolism (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase 1, methylmalonic aciduria [cobalamin deficiency] cblB type, glycine receptor alpha 2, solute carrier family 7 member 11, etc.) were also identified to be differentially expressed. Conclusion: The current results provide new insights regarding hepatic molecular functions related to different intensity of brown eggshell color in aged laying hens. These insights will contribute to future studies aiming to optimize brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2021

Objective: In clinical practice, there are a lot of exercise to reduce body weight or reduce the amount of body fat in order to solve back pain. However, many studies have contradicted the relationship between back pain and weight or body fat mass. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fat mass, body mass index and low back pain of office worker. Design: Crossed-sectional study Methods: Among the white-collar workers diagnosed with non-specific back pain by doctors, subjects who were not included in the exclusion criteria were selected to measure the subject's body fat mass, body mass index, pain intensity, and disability index due to back pain. The NPRS was used for the intensity of back pain of office workers, and the ODI was used for the degree of disability due to back pain. A body composition analyzer was used to measure the body fat mass and body mass index of white-collar workers. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the comparison between the normal group and the excessive group according to the criteria of fat mass and body mass index. In the correlation analysis of fat mass, body mass index, pain intensity, and disability index, it was found that there was a significant correlation between fat mass and body mass index. However, neither fat mass nor body mass index had a significant correlation with pain intensity and disability index. Conclusions: The fat mass and body mass index of office worker do not affect low back pain.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.33-45
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• 2024

Purpose : This study aimed to compare the effects of spinal manipulation combined with medication on low back pain (LBP), range of motion, and disability in patients with chronic LBP. Methods : Twenty patients with chronic LBP were included in this study. The participants were randomly assigned to the spinal manipulation with medication group (n=10) or the medication only group (n=10). The intervention group received spinal manipulation for 15 minutes, twice a week, and took medication twice a day for eight weeks. The control group received the medication twice daily for eight weeks. Pain intensity assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), range of motion, and disability due to LBP assessed using the Oswestry disability index were measured before and after the intervention. Results : The intervention group showed a significant improvement in pain intensity compared to the control group (p<.05), and the intervention and control groups significantly improved low back pain after the intervention (p<.05). The intervention group showed a significant improvement in the range of motion in flexion, extension, right lateral flexion, left lateral flexion, and right rotation (p<.05). The intervention group also showed a significant improvement in the change of disability in total score, pain intensity, personal care, lifting and standing compared to the control group (p<.05). Conclusion : This study showed that the combination of spinal manipulation and medication can benefit patients with chronic LBP, as evidenced by significant improvements in pain intensity, ROM, and disability. These findings suggest that utilizing both spinal manipulation and medication can positively affect individuals with chronic LBP. The results of this study should be applied in clinical settings to optimize treatment outcomes in patients with chronic LBP.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.320-325
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• 2001

In this study, CT specimen were prepared from Pressure Vessel Steel which was used for pressure vessel plates for room and low temperature service. And we got the following characteristics from fatigue crack growth test carried out in the environment of room and low temperature at $25^{\circ}C$, -3$0^{\circ}C$, -6$0^{\circ}C$, -8$0^{\circ}C$, -10$0^{\circ}C$ and -12$0^{\circ}C$ and in the range of stress ratio of 0.05 and 0.3 by means of opening mode displacement. At the constant street ratio, the threshold stress intensity factor range ΔK$_{th}$ in the early stage of fatigue crack growth(Region I) and stress intensity factor range ΔK in the stable of fatigue crack growth(Region II) was increased in proportion to descend temperature. It assumed that the fatigue resistance characteristics and fracture strength at low temperature is considerable higher than that of room temperature in the early stage and stable of fatigue crack growth region. The straight line slope relation of logarithm do/dN -ΔK in RegionII, that is, the fatigue crack growth exponent m increased with descending temperature at the constant stress ratio. It was assumed that the fatigue crack growth rate do/dN is rapid in proportion to descending temperature in Region IIand the cryogenic-brittleness greatly affect a material with decreasing temperature.e.greatly affect a material with decreasing temperature.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.384-389
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• 2021

Background: Social distancing by working-from-home is an effective measure to decrease the spread of COVID-19. However, this new work pattern could also affect the well-being of workers. Therefore, the aim of the study was to study the magnitude of occupational health problems and lifestyle changes among workers who have only recently started working from home. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using online self-administered questionnaires during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the Bangkok metropolitan area, Thailand. The participants were from any organization that allowed working from home. The demographic data including the analysis of the characteristics of working from home, the occurrence of occupational health problems, and the lifestyle changes caused by working from home were analyzed. Results: A total of 869 workers were included as study participants. The highest prevalence of physical health problems among all workers was identified to be weight gain at a rate of 40.97% (95% confidence interval = 37.69-44.24), and the highest prevalence of psychosocial problems was identified to be cabin fever at a rate of 31.28% (95% confidence interval = 26.66-35.90%) among full-time working-from-home workers. The health effects that were significantly related to the intensity of working from home (p for trends <0.05), either positively or negatively, included body weight changes, ergonomic problems, indoor environmental problems, and psychosocial problems. Meanwhile, the lifestyle changes related to work intensity included eating pattern, sleep habits, and exercise. Conclusions: Working from home can affect workers' well-being in various aspects. Hence, occupational health providers must prepare for risk prevention and health promotion in this "new normal" working life pattern and for future pandemics.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.326-339
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• 2022

Recently, not only Korea but also the world has been suffering from problems related to coastal erosion. The hard defense method has been primarily used as a countermeasure against erosion. However, this method is expensive and has environmental implications. Hence, interest in other alternative methods, such as the eco-friendly vegetation method, is increasing. In this study, we aim to analyze the hydraulic characteristic of submerged rigid vegetation according to the cross-sectional change through a hydraulic experiment and numerical simulation. From the hydraulic experiment, the reflection coefficient, transmission coefficient, and energy dissipation coefficient were analyzed according to the density, width, and multi-row arrangement of the vegetation zone. From numerical simulations, the flow field, vorticity distribution, turbulence distribution, and wave distribution around the vegetation zone were analyzed according to the crest depth, width, density, and multi-row arrangement distance of the vegetation zone. The hydraulic experiment results suggest that the transmission coefficient decreased as the density and width of the vegetation zone increased, and the multi-row arrangement condition did not affect the hydraulic characteristics significantly. Moreover, the numerical simulations showed that as the crest depth decreased, the width and density of vegetation increased along with vorticity and turbulence intensity, resulting in increased wave height attenuation performance. Additionally, there was no significant difference in vorticity, turbulence intensity, and wave height attenuation performance based on the multi-row arrangement distance. Overall, in the case of submerged rigid vegetation, the wave energy attenuation performance increased as the density and width of the vegetation zone increased and crest depth decreased. However, the multi-row arrangement condition did not affect the wave energy attenuation performance significantly.