• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.37-47
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• 2022

Purpose : We aimed to investigate the effects of nutritional foods on sarcopenia prevention and physical function among the elderly living in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing customized nutrition. Methods : This study was conducted in the rural community of SCC. Participants (n=24, over age 65) were randomly assigned into a Protein group (n=12) and a Vitamin group (n=12). The protein group was given 23 g/d of protein (whey, soybean, BCAA) for 8 weeks and the Vitamin group 23 g/d of vitamin (B, C, D, E and mixed minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc) for 8 weeks. All participants had their body composition such as height, weight, skeletal muscle mass, body mass index, and body fat percentage, measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and physical function assessed using grip strength and the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Results : At the end of the intervention, there was a significant increase in skeletal muscle mass (p<.01) in the Protein group (p=.002, 4.92 %) compared to the baseline: it increased by 2.33 %. The Vitamin group had a significant increase in body fat percentage after the intervention (p=.001, 15.35 %) compared to the baseline: body fat percentage decreased by 4.49 %. There were no significant differences in left and right Grip strength/Weight, SPPB, 4-m gait speed, chair stand test, and sense of balance in both groups. Conclusion : The findings from this study suggest that 8 weeks of protein intake have a significant effect on skeletal muscle mass and body fat percentage. Protein intake helped promoting the health of the elderly in rural community during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will assist creating a foundation for providing customized nutrition for the elderly in rural community in the future.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.73-84
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate biodiversity and natural habitat environment of freshwater ecosystem. Our aim was therefore to produce a set of biodiversity and habitat indicators based on multi-parameters of water quality and biodiversity by analyzing the characteristics of the results by indicators. We selected four indicators a) anthropogenic disturbance, b) habitat diversity, c) biodiversity, d) ecosystem structure. The fishes cohabiting with Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis were Rhynchocypris kumgangensis and Zacco koreanus. As a result of the anthropogenic disturbance evaluation, it was analyzed that vegetation embankment showed a more stable environment in the tributary than the main stream, and other disturbance was not confirmed As a result of the habitat diversity evaluation, it was analyzed that habitat evaluation index showed a high score of 200 more on average, showing an optimal habitat condition. As a result of the biodiversity evaluation, it was analyzed as a clean habitat condition with a high proportion of sensitive species, abundant dissolved oxygen, and little pollutants. As a results of the ecosystem structure, the ecological health condition metrics and appearance of endangered species showed large score deviation, but it was analyzed that the stream ecosystem health was generally excellent. There was a slight correlation between the habitat environment and the results of the nature habitat evaluation according to the appearance of the B. lenok tsinlingensis.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the consistency of 1-day and 3-day average dietary intake using the 24-hour diet recall method and to investigate the relationship of diet intake with physiological indicators potentially associated with diabetic complications in patients with diabetes. Methods: This study conducted a secondary data analysis using pretest data of a nursing intervention study entitled "Development of deep learning based AI coaching program for diabetic patients with high risk and examination of its effects." Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients using SPSS 26.0. Results: The average total daily calorie intake over 3 days was 1,494.48 ± 436.47 kcal/day: 1,510.90 ± 547.76 kcal/day on the first day, 1,414.22 ± 527.58 kcal/day on the second day, 1,558.34 ± 645.83 kcal/ day on the third day, showing significant differences (F = 3.59, p = .031). The correlation coefficient between the 1-day and 3-day average dietary intake was 0.41-0.77 for each nutrient and 0.62-0.80 for each food group. Vegetable intake showed negative correlations with body mass index (BMI; r = -.19, p = .023) and triglycerides (r = -.18, p = .036), whereas dairy intake was positively associated with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL; r = -0.18, p = .034) and triglycerides (r = .40, p<.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 1-day dietary intake was highly correlated with 3-day average dietary intake using the 24-hour diet recall method. Food groups showed significant associations with physiological indicators of potential diabetic complications such as BMI, triglycerides, and LDL levels. Further studies are needed to improve the knowledge base on the relationships between physiological indicators and food groups.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.71-83
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• 2007

Liquefaction resistance depends strongly upon the degree of saturation, which is expressed in terms of the pore pressure coefficient, B. The B-value has been widely used to quantify the state of saturation of laboratory samples. However, it is practically impossible to determine in situ state of saturation by using the B-value. So, P-wave velocity can be alternatively used as a convenient index for evaluating the in situ state of saturation. In this paper, the Stokoe type torsional shear (TS) testing system was modified to saturate the specimen, with which it is also possible to measure P ($V_p$), S-wave velocity ($V_s$) and the excess pore water pressure buildup In order to examine the effect of B-value for nearly saturated sands. A series of the tests were carried out at 3 relative densities (40%, 50% and 75%) and various B-values using Toyoura sand. Based on the test results, the variations of $V_p\;and\;V_s$ with B-value were analyzed and compared with a existing theoretically derived formula. The normalized pore water pressure, $du/{\sigma}{_0}'$ and cyclic threshold shear strain, ${\gamma}^c_{th}$ with B-value were also analyzed. Additionally the test results related to pore water pressure were analyzed by $V_p$ to apply to the field seismic analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.111-120
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• 2008

The characteristic of induced anisotropy is investigated in this study for the Pohang mudstone involving the cut plane discontinuity. The uniaxial and triaxial compression tests are performed for anisotropic rocks with artificial joint to look into anisotropic strength characteristics. Both the uniaxial compressive strength and triaxial compressive strength show the lowest value at the angle of cut plane, ${\beta}=30^{\circ}$ and the shoulder type of anisotropy is obtained. Anisotropy ratio (Rc) in uniaxial compression measures 9.0, whereas Rc=1.29-1.98 in triaxial compression is appeared. A series of analyses are made with the test results to derive the suitable parameter values when it is applied to the Ramamurthy (1985) failure criterion. The result of uniaxial compression test is analyzed by introducing the n-index into Ramamurthy failure criterion. The result shows that, n=l is suitable for ${\beta}=0^{\circ}{\sim}30^{\circ}$ and n=3 is suitable for ${\beta}=30^{\circ}{\sim}90^{\circ}$. To analyze the result of triaxial compression test by Ramamurthy failure criterion, anisotropy ratio in uniaxial compression test is added to Ramamurthy's equation and material constants are estimated by modified Ramamurthy's equation. When these values are applied back to Ramamurthy failure criterion, the predicted values are well fitted to the test results. And strength anisotropy for failure criteria of Jaeger (1960), McLamore & Gray (1967) and Hoek & Brown (1980) are also investigated.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.17-24
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• 2010

Load Resistance Factor Design method is used increasingly in geotechnical design world widely and resistance factors for drilled shafts are suggested by AASHTO. However, these resistance factors are determined for intact rock conditions; by comparison, most of bedrocks in Korea have weathered condition, so that applying the AASHTO resistance factors is not reasonable. Thus, this study suggests the proper resistance factors for design of drilled shaft in Korea. The 22 cases of pile load test data from 8 sites were chosen and reliability-based approach is used to analyze the data. Reliability analysis was performed by First Order Second Moment Method (FOSM) applying 4 bearing capacity equations. As a result, when the Factor of Safety (FOS) was selected as 3.0, the target reliability indexes (${\beta}_c$) were evaluated as 2.01~2.30. Resistance factors and load factors are determined from optimization based on above results. The resistance factors ranged between 0.48 and 0.56 and load factors for dead load and live load are evaluated as approximately 1.25 and 1.75 respectively. However, when the target reliabilities are considered as 3.0, the resistance factors are evaluated as approximately 50% of the results when the target reliability index was 2.0.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1499-1511
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• 2022

Objective: This study was aimed to estimate the genetic parameters, including genetic and phenotypic correlations, of milk yield, lactation curve traits and milk composition of Thai dairy cattle from three government research farms. Methods: The data of 25,789 test-day milk yield and milk composition records of 1,468 cattle from lactation 1 to 3 of Holstein Friesian (HF) and crossbred HF dairy cattle calved between 1990 and 2015 from three government research farms in Thailand were analysed. 305-day milk yield was estimated by the Wood model and a test interval method. The Wood model was used for estimating cumulative 305-day milk yield, peak milk yield, days to peak milk yield and persistency. Genetic parameters were estimated using linear mixed models with herd, breed group, year and season of calving as fixed effects, and animals linked to a pedigree as random effects, together with a residual error. Univariate models were used to estimate variance components, heritability, estimated breeding values (EBVs) and repeatability of each trait, while pairwise bivariate models were used to estimate covariance components and correlations between traits in the same lactation and in the same trait across lactations. Results: The heritability of 305-day milk yield, peak milk yield and protein percentage have moderate to high estimates ranging from 0.19 to 0.45 while days to peak milk yield, persistency and fat percentage have low heritability ranging from 0.08 to 0.14 in lactation 1 cows. Further, heritability of most traits considered was higher in lactation 1 compared with lactations 2 and 3. For cows in lactation 1, high genetic correlations were found between 305-day milk yield and peak milk yield (0.86±0.07) and days to peak milk yield and persistency (0.99±0.02) while estimates of genetic correlations between the remaining traits were imprecise due to the high standard errors. The genetic correlations within the traits across lactation were high. There was no consistent trend of EBVs for most traits in the first lactation over the study period. Conclusion: Both the Wood model and test interval method can be used for milk yield estimates in these herds. However, the Wood model has advantages over the test interval method as it can be fitted using fewer test-day records and the estimated model parameters can be used to derive estimates of other lactation curve parameters. Milk yield, peak milk yield and protein percentage can be improved by a selection and mating program while days to peak milk yield, persistency and fat percentage can be improved by including into a selection index.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.6
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• pp.716-725
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• 2023

Objective : Anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS) is a common surgical procedure used to treat cervical spinal degenerative diseases. One of the complications associated with ACSS is prevertebral soft tissue swelling (PSTS), which can result in airway obstruction, dysphagia, and other adverse outcomes. This study aims to investigate the correlation between various cervical sagittal parameters and PSTS following single-level ACSS, as well as to identify independent risk factors for PSTS. Methods : A retrospective study conducted at a single institution. The study population included all patients who underwent single-level ACSS between January 2014 and December 2022. Patients with a history of cervical spine surgery or trauma were excluded from the study. The presence and severity of PSTS was assessed by reviewing pre- and postoperative imaging studies. The potential risk factors for PSTS that were examined include patient age, sex, body mass index, tobacco use, comorbidities, serum albumin levels, operative time, implant type, implanted level, and various cervical spine sagittal parameters. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors for PSTS. Results : A total of 62 consecutive patients who underwent single-level ACSS over a 8-year period at a single institution were enrolled in this study. Only preoperative segmental angle showed positive correlation with PSTS among various cervical spine sagittal parameters (r=0.36, p=0.005). Artificial disc replacement showed a negative correlation with PSTS (β=-0.38, p=0.002), whereas the use of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) had a positive impact on PSTS (β=0.33, p=0.009). We found that male sex, lower preoperative serum albumin, and implantation of upper cervical level (above C5) were independent predictors for PSTS after single-level ACSS (β=1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27 to 2.15; p=0.012; β=-1.63; 95% CI, -2.91 to -0.34; p=0.014; β=1.44; 95% CI, 0.38 to 2.49; p=0.008, respectively). Conclusion : Our study identified male sex, lower preoperative serum albumin levels, and upper cervical level involvement as independent risk factors for PSTS after single-level ACSS. These findings can help clinicians monitor high-risk patients and take preventive measures to reduce complications. Further research with larger sample sizes and prospective designs is needed to validate these findings.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.983-993
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate the image quality of ultralow-dose CT (ULDCT) of the chest reconstructed using a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN)-based deep learning method in the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Between June 2019 and November 2019, 103 patients (mean age, 40.8 ± 13.6 years; 61 men and 42 women) with pulmonary tuberculosis were prospectively enrolled to undergo standard-dose CT (120 kVp with automated exposure control), followed immediately by ULDCT (80 kVp and 10 mAs). The images of the two successive scans were used to train the CycleGAN framework for image-to-image translation. The denoising efficacy of the CycleGAN algorithm was compared with that of hybrid and model-based iterative reconstruction. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed to compare the objective measurements and the subjective image quality scores, respectively. Results: With the optimized CycleGAN denoising model, using the ULDCT images as input, the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index improved by 2.0 dB and 0.21, respectively. The CycleGAN-generated denoised ULDCT images typically provided satisfactory image quality for optimal visibility of anatomic structures and pathological findings, with a lower level of image noise (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 19.5 ± 3.0 Hounsfield unit [HU]) than that of the hybrid (66.3 ± 10.5 HU, p < 0.001) and a similar noise level to model-based iterative reconstruction (19.6 ± 2.6 HU, p > 0.908). The CycleGAN-generated images showed the highest contrast-to-noise ratios for the pulmonary lesions, followed by the model-based and hybrid iterative reconstruction. The mean effective radiation dose of ULDCT was 0.12 mSv with a mean 93.9% reduction compared to standard-dose CT. Conclusion: The optimized CycleGAN technique may allow the synthesis of diagnostically acceptable images from ULDCT of the chest for the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2024

Objectives : Ulcerative colitis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. However, there are some drawbacks to long-term drug therapy such as the risk of opportunistic infections. Recently, there was an increasing interest on the use of khorasan Kamut wheat because of their higher value of selenium and fiber than modern wheat. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of Kamut brand wheat enzyme (Kamut WE) diet on colon health in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Methods : Female C57BL/6J mice were divided into 6 groups. (1) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (2) control (1.25% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (3) Kamut WE (1.25% DSS and Kamut WE diet), (4) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (5) control (2.50% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (6) Kamut WE (2.50% DSS and Kamut WE diet). Dietary intake, body weight change, disease activity index (DAI), colon length and spleen weight were monitored. Results : Kamut WE group alleviated colitis symptom, including dietary intake loss, DAI (weight loss, loose stools, bleeding), colon length shortening and spleen swelling. Further, Kamut WE diets showed a significant effect against pathological damage by the increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in DSS 1.25% as well as DSS 2.50%. Conclusions : Our study provides evidence that Kamut WE diet increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in intestinal inflammation.