• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.80-84
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• 2014

Introduction: Sleep has numerous important physiological and cognitive functions that may be particularly important to elite athletes. Sleep deprivation can have significant effects on athletic performance. However, there are few published data related to the amount of sleep obtained by elite athletes. We investigated sleep patterns of Korean women golfers using sleep-related questionnaires. Methods: For this study, 98 Korean university women golfers and 46 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. All subjects were asked to complete the self-administered sleep questionnaire consisting of questions about habitual sleep patterns (sleep onset time, sleep latency, awakening time in the morning, day time napping time), exercise habits, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), validation of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: The sleep onset time was significantly earlier (pm 23 : $05{\pm}00$ : 52 and 00 : $14{\pm}00$ : 51 ; t = 5.287, p < 0.001), the waking time was later (am 07 : $21{\pm}01$ : 09 and 6 : $35{\pm}00$ : 32; t = -2.715, p = 0.008), the weekday total sleep time was greater ($417.77{\pm}78.18$ minute and $351.52{\pm}77.83$ minute ; t = 4.406, p = 0.001), and the daytime nap time was greater ($77.73{\pm}41.28$ minute and $20.22{\pm}33.03$ minute ; t = 7.623, p < 0.001) in the golf athletes compared to the controls. The PSQI scores were significantly lower, but estimated sleep latency and ESS, ISS, PSS, and BAI scores were not different among the two groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that Korean university women golfers have good sleep patterns resulting in no difference in sleep-related stress compared to age- and sex-matched control students.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to characterize equine heat-shock protein (Hsp) genes and analyze their expression pattern in various horse tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise. In a previous study, RNA sequencing of blood and skeletal muscles of thoroughbreds before and after exercise was performed using differently expressed gene (DEG) analysis. Three Hsp genes (HspH1, Hsp90${\alpha}$ and Hsp70) were selected by DEG analysis and were found to be differentially expressed in either blood or muscle. To validate and extend previous observations on these genes, we performed RT-PCR analyses of horse tissue as well as real-time qPCR analyses of blood leukocytes after exercise. mRNA expression of these Hsp genes was found to be ubiquitous in the analyzed tissues (including thyroid, colon, skeletal muscle, cecum, kidney, spinal cord, heart, and lung). In addition, Hsp mRNA expression of these genes in extracted whole blood increased after 120 minutes of exercise compared to the baseline condition. These results are in agreement with the results of human and other experimental animals, suggesting that regulatory mechanisms that are responsible for upregulation of Hsp gene transcription may be conserved among species. Further investigations to correlate Hsp gene expression patterns with athletic performance or recovery processes after exercise are warranted.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.210-220
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• 2015

Athletic performance is an important criteria used for the selection of superior horses. However, little is known about exercise-related epigenetic processes in the horse. DNA methylation is a key mechanism for regulating gene expression in response to environmental changes. We carried out comparative genomic analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in the blood samples of two different thoroughbred horses before and after exercise by methylated-DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-Seq). Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the pre-and post-exercise blood samples of superior and inferior horses were identified. Exercise altered the methylation patterns. After 30 min of exercise, 596 genes were hypomethy-lated and 715 genes were hypermethylated in the superior horse, whereas in the inferior horse, 868 genes were hypomethylated and 794 genes were hypermethylated. These genes were analyzed based on gene ontology (GO) annotations and the exercise-related pathway patterns in the two horses were compared. After exercise, gene regions related to cell division and adhesion were hypermethylated in the superior horse, whereas regions related to cell signaling and transport were hypermethylated in the inferior horse. Analysis of the distribution of methylated CpG islands confirmed the hypomethylation in the gene-body methylation regions after exercise. The methylation patterns of transposable elements also changed after exercise. Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) showed abundance of DMRs. Collectively, our results serve as a basis to study exercise-based reprogramming of epigenetic traits.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.442-447
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to establish norm-referenced criteria for the isokinetic strength of the elbow joint in Korean high school baseball players. Two hundred and one high school baseball players participated in this study, none of whom had any medical problem with their upper limbs. The elbow flexion/extension test was conducted four times at a speed of $60^{\circ}/sec$. The HUMAC NORM (CSMI, USA) system was used to obtain the values of the peak torque and peak torque per body weight. The results were presented as norm-referenced criterion valuesusing the 5-point scale of Cajori which consists of five stages (6.06%, 24.17%, 38.30%, 24.17%, and 6.06%). In the results of this study, the peak torques of the elbow (flexor and extensor?) at an angular velocity of $60^{\circ}/sec$ were $37.88{\pm}8.14Nm$ and $44.59{\pm}11.79Nm$, and the peak torque per body weight of the elbow (flexor and extensor?) were $50.06{\pm}8.66Nm$ and $58.28{\pm}12.84Nm$, respectively. The reference values of the peak torque and peak torque per body weight of the elbow flexor and extensor were setat an angular velocity of $60^{\circ}/sec$. On the basis of the results analyzed in this study, the following conclusions were drawn. There is a lack of proper studies on the elbow joint strength, even though the most common injury in baseball players occurs in the elbow joint. Therefore, we need to establish a standard muscle strength in order to prevent elbow joint injuries and improve their performance. The criteria for the peak torque and peak torque per body weight established here in will provide useful information for high school baseball players, baseball coaches, athletic trainers and sports injury rehabilitation specialists in injury recovery and return to rehabilitation, which can beutilized as objective clinical assessment data.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.25-34
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• 2010

This study was conducted to develop evaluation indicators to improve athletic performance and operational management of golf courses and the results of the research are as follows. Through theoretical research and a preliminary professional survey, 15 on-going evaluations of golf course composition and operational management and 55 sub-evaluation indices were rejected while 10 on-going evaluations and 52 sub-evaluation indicators were reconfigured as final for environmental-friendliness, level of member services, level of human service of game personnel, difficulties of course, management level of the course, fairness of operational management, accessibility and location characteristic, traditions and ambiance of the golf club, quality of course, and course layout. When analyzing the important decision factors in golf course user preference evaluation indicators, the following contributed in the order of higher to lower contributions: the management level of the course, excellence of the course, level of human services for personnel, course layout and environmental-friendliness. When identifying the path coefficient of golf course evaluation indicators, the curvature of a hole and the length of the course had a causal effect on the 'course layout' section. Tournament facilities and various shot values had a causal relationship with 'excellence of the course', in the order of higher to lower, and convenience of waiting and fair allocation of reservations for 'fairness of operational management'. The history of the golf course and its environmental characteristics, history and culture of the region have relatively higher causal effects on 'traditions of the golf club' and geographical conditions on 'accessibility and location characteristics', pesticide and fertilizer usage and water pollution on 'environmental-friendliness', and member benefit and kindness of employees on 'level of member services'. The kindness and expertise of the game personnel had a relatively higher causal effect on the 'level of human services of game personnel', the location of tenning area, and location of OB and hazards on 'difficulties of course', and rough conditions and obstacles management on 'management level of the course'. There is a need to complete a systematic evaluation index system for golf course user preferences through future studies for a more detailed assessment, as well as a process to verify these evaluation indicators by application to domestic and international golf courses.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.129-136
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• 2010

This study was initiated to investigate thatch accumulation in several turfgrasses grown under two soil systems. The 45 centimeter deep USGA system was constructed with rootzone, intermediate and drainage layers. The mono-layer system, however, was made with only a 30cm rootzone layer. Turfgrasses used in the study were comprised of 3 varieties from Korean lawngrass of Warm-Season Grass(WSG) and 3 blends and 3 mixtures from Cool-Season Grass(CSG). A total of 9 turfgrass treatments were replicated three times in RCBD in both systems. Cultural practices for the research plot followed a typical maintenance program for highly managed turf. Treatment differences for thatch accumulation were observed among the turfgrasses in both soil systems. Thatch under the USGA system was 9% greater than under the mono-layer system due to its more favorable conditions for turf growth. Higher thatch depth was found with Korean lawngrass, 34~87% in the USGA system and 16~75% in the mono-layer system when compared with CSG. Among WSG, the Joongji variety was the highest in thatch layer under both the USGA and mono-layer systems. Kentucky bluegrass(KB) was the greatest among CSG, since it is a rhizomatous-type in growth habit, resulting in faster production of organic matter over bunch-type of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. Proper depth in the thatch layer was known to be beneficial by enhancing the resiliency and wear tolerance of the turf in athletic fields. Thus, KB was considered to be a very excellent turfgrass in terms of turf quality, environmental performance, physical properties and soccer player safety. However, disadvantages such as poor water-holding properties, more inclined to injury from environmental stresses and severe diseases and insect injury were also expected where thatch was excessively accumulated. Therefore, these results demonstrate that more frequent measures for controlling thatch such as vertical mowing, topdressing or coring should be employed for soccer fields with Korean lawngrass and KB over other turfgrasses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1325-1335
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• 2013

Working dogs, such as rescue dogs, military watch dogs, guide dogs, and search dogs, are selected by in-training examination of desired traits, including concentration, possessiveness, and boldness. In recent years, genetic information has been considered to be an important factor for the outstanding abilities of working dogs. To characterize the molecular features of the canine genes related to phenotypes for working dogs, we investigated the 24 previously reported genes (AR, BDNF, DAT, DBH, DGCR2, DRD4, MAOA, MAOB, SLC6A4, TH, TPH2, IFT88, KCNA3, TBR2, TRKB, ACE, GNB1, MSTN, PLCL1, SLC25A22, WFIKKN2, APOE, GRIN2B, and PIK3CG) that were categorized to personality, olfactory sense, and athletic/learning ability. We analyzed the chromosomal location, gene-gene interactions, Gene Ontology, and expression patterns of these genes using bioinformatic tools. In addition, variable numbers of tandem repeat (VNTR) or microsatellite (MS) polymorphism in the AR, MAOA, MAOB, TH, DAT, DBH, and DRD4 genes were reviewed. Taken together, we suggest that the genetic background of the canine genes associated with various working dog behaviors and skill performance attributes could be used for proper selection of superior working dogs.