• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.330-347
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• 2022

Folate, a water-soluble vitamin, acts as a coenzyme for one-carbon metabolism in nucleic acid synthesis and amino acid metabolism. Adequate folate nutritional status during the periconceptional period is known to prevent neural tube defects. In addition, insufficient folate intake is associated with various conditions, such as anemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive impairment, and depression. This review discusses the rationale for the revision of the 2020 Korean dietary reference intakes for folate, and suggestions for future revisions. Based on the changes in the standard body weight in 2020, the adequate intake (AI) for infants (5-11 months) and the estimated average requirements (EARs) for 15-18 years of age were revised, but there were no changes in the recommended nutrient intakes (RNIs) and tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for all age groups. Mean folate intake did not reach RNI in most age groups and was particularly low in women aged 15-29 years, according to the results of the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The percentages of folate intake to RNI were lower than 60% in pregnant and lactating women, but serum folate concentrations were higher than those in other age groups, presumably due to the use of supplements. Therefore, total folate intake, from both food and supplements, should be evaluated. In addition, the database of folate in raw, cooked, and fortified foods should be further expanded to accurately assess the folate intake of Koreans. Determination of the concentrations of erythrocyte folate and plasma homocysteine as well as serum folate is recommended, and quality control of the analysis is critical.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2021

Propionic acidemia (PA) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder, due to the deficiency of propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC). PCC is the enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of propionyl-CoA to D-methylmalonyl-CoA, and it is critical for the metabolism of amino acids, odd-chain fatty acids, and side chains of cholesterol. The clinical manifestations present mostly at the neonatal period with life-threatening metabolic acidosis and hyperammonemia. Here, we described a case of a 16-year-old Korean boy with late-onset PA who presented with embolic cerebral infarction due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) with left ventricular noncompaction. And he has family history of sudden cardiac death, so we performed metabolic screening and genetic tests. Elevated levels of 3-hydroxypropionic acid, methylcitric acid and propionylglycerine were detected in urine. Plasma acylcarnitine profile showed elevated propionylcarnitine (C3). Diagnosis of PA was confirmed by genetic analysis, which revealed compound heterozygous mutations, c.[1151T>G] (p.[Phe384Cys]) and c.[1228C>T] (p.[Arg410Trp]) in PCCB gene. His heart function is in improving state and the results of biochemical analysis are stable with heart failure medication and metabolic managements. We present a case of patient without episodes of metabolic decompensation who manifests DCMP as the first symptom of PA.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2022

Background: In northern Thailand, the longan flower is the principal nectar source for honey production. Microorganisms play a critical function in the agricultural ecology. The morphological characteristics of fungal species found in longan pollen were studied. Aspergillus spp. were found to be invertase-producing strains and were employed in the longan syrup production process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of invertase-added longan syrup on the adult honey bee population numbers that were fed by this syrup for 16 weeks. Results: Different fungal species were found in longan pollen samples. Aspergillus was the main genus, with three predominant sections: Nigri, Flavi, and Terrei. Other isolated species were Trichoderma spp., Rhizopus spp., Neurospora spp., Chaetomium spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp. However, Aspergillus spp. is the only fungal species that produces the enzyme invertase. The invertase-producing strains belonging to the Aspergillus section Nigri were found to be A. niger LP5 with an optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 60℃. When A. niger LP5 invertase was used for longan syrup processing, the highest levels of glucose (3.45%) and fructose (2.08%) were found in invertase added longan syrup (C), while fresh (A) and boiled longan syrup (B) had lower contents of both sugars. The sucrose content was detected in (A) at 4.25%, while (B) and (C) were at 4.02% and 3.08%, respectively. An appropriate amount of sugar to feed and maintain the honey bee population was considered. The data showed no statistically significant differences between the two selected forms of longan syrup compared to the sugar syrup examined by the adult honey bee population. Conclusions: The main species of isolated fungi from longan pollen were Aspergillus spp. The discovery of an invertase-producing strain of A. niger LP5 has enabled its application for enzyme utilization in the invert sugar preparation process. The adult worker bee populations fed by longan syrup from both boiled and invertase-added sources showed an increasing trend. Artificial syrup made from longan fruit to feed honey bees when natural food sources are limited can be applied.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.85-102
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• 2023

This study aims to examine whether emotional clarity predicts low levels of social interaction anxiety among senior citizens and to verify whether self-esteem and self-efficacy play a critical role as mediators between them. An online survey measuring emotional clarity, social interaction anxiety, self-esteem, and self-efficacy was conducted with 217 Korean senior citizens. The analysis revealed that emotional clarity in old age predicted lower social interaction anxiety. Besides, self-esteem mediated the relationship between emotional clarity and social interaction anxiety, while self-efficacy did not produce consistent results. That is, recognizing one's emotions increases one's self-esteem, which reduces social interaction anxiety, but this mediating effect could not be confirmed through self-efficacy. This result emphasizes that recognizing one's emotions in old age is an important factor in facilitating interaction with others, and shows that individuals can be comfortable in relational situations because emotional clarity increases one's self-esteem. Finally, the implications of this study and the future direction of this research area were discussed.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2023

Environmental pollution from waste and the climate crisis, due to rising global average temperatures, are reaching critical levels threatening human survival. Research is ongoing across various fields to solve this problem, with a key focus on developing eco-friendly, carbon-neutral materials. Our study aimed to integrate natural fibers, known for their environmentally friendly properties and lower carbon emissions, with carbon fibers. In general, combining high-strength and low-strength materials results in intermediate properties. However, we found that certain properties in our study exceeded those of typical carbon fiber composite materials. To validate this, we produced both carbon fiber composite materials and carbon fiber/natural fiber hybrid composite materials. We then compared their mechanical properties using a range of specific tests. Our results revealed that the hybrid composite material exhibited superior bending strength and fracture toughness compared to the carbon fiber composite material. We also identified the underlying mechanisms contributing to this strength enhancement. This breakthrough suggests that the use of hybrid composite materials may allow the production of stronger structures. Moreover, this can play a significant role in mitigating environmental pollution and the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions, a major contributing factor to these global challenges.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.228-240
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cocoa consumption is associated with health benefits due to its high content of polyphenols. However, the effects of short-term cocoa consumption remain unclear. We aimed to determine the effects generated by cocoa consumption (for 7 days) in young adults in normoweight and class II obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Before-and-after study was carried out in normoweight (NW) (n = 15) and class II obesity (CIIO) (n = 15) young adults. The NW and CIIO participants consumed 25 and 39 g of cocoa, respectively, per day for 7 days. The effect of cocoa consumption was evaluated on the lipid profile, insulin resistance (IR), and inflammation. Oxidative damage was also examined by assessing the biomarkers of oxidative damage in plasma. In addition, recombinant human insulin was incubated with blood obtained from the participants, and the molecular damage to the hormone was analyzed. RESULTS: Cocoa consumption resulted in decreased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in both groups (P = 0.04), while the total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were maintained at the recommended levels. Initially, IR was detected in the CIIO group (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA] = 4.78 ± 0.4), which is associated with molecular damage to insulin. Interestingly, intervention with cocoa resulted in improved IR (HOMA = 3.14 ± 0.31) (P = 0.0018) as well as molecular damage to insulin. Finally, cocoa consumption significant decreased the arginase activity (P = 0.0249) in the CIIO group; this is a critical enzymatic activity in the inflammatory process associated with obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term consumption of cocoa improves the lipid profile, exerts anti-inflammatory effects, and protects against oxidative damage. Results of this study indicate that cocoa consumption can potentially improve IR and restore a healthy redox status.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.143-151
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• 2007

The factors affecting the geotechnical properties of cemented sands are known to be relative density, cementation level, stress level, and particle characteristics such as particle size, shape and surface conditions. It has been widely accepted that the friction angle of cemented sands is not affected by cementation while the cohesion of cemented sands was significantly influenced by cementation. The cementation that is a critical component of the strength of cemented sands will be broken with increasing confining pressure and great caution is required in evaluating the cohesion of cemented specimens due to their fragilities. In this study, a series of drained shear tests were performed with specimens at various cementation levels and confining stresses to evaluate the strength parameters of cemented sands. From the experiments, it was concluded that the cohesion intercept of cemented sand experiences three distinctive zone(cementation control zone, transition zone, and stress control zone), as the cementation level and the confining stress varies. In addition, for accurate evaluation of the strength parameters, the level of confining stress triggering the breakage of cementation bond should be determined. In this study, the relationship between the maximum confining stresses capable of maintaining the cementation bond intact and unconfined compression strength of the cemented sand was established.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.245-259
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• 2023

The agricultural reservoir is a critical water supply system in South Korea, providing approximately 60% of the agricultural water demand. However, the reservoir faces several issues that jeopardize its efficient operation and management. To address this issues, we propose a novel deep-learning-based water level recognition model that uses CCTV image data to accurately estimate water levels in agricultural reservoirs. The model consists of three main parts: (1) dataset construction, (2) image segmentation using the U-Net algorithm, and (3) CCTV-based water level recognition using either CNN or ResNet. The model has been applied to two reservoirs G-reservoir and M-reservoir with observed CCTV image and water level time series data. The results show that the performance of the image segmentation model is superior, while the performance of the water level recognition model varies from 50 to 80% depending on water level classification criteria (i.e., classification guideline) and complexity of image data (i.e., variability of the image pixels). The performance of the model can be improved if more numbers of data can be collected.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.27-48
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• 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of firm resilience, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study aimed to investigate the concept of SME resilience, the role of entrepreneurial orientation in enhancing firm resilience, and the impact of top management networking capability on this relationship. The study defined firm resilience as consisting of adaptation capacity and recovery capacity and conducted a survey of 187 domestic SMEs for empirical verification. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial orientation is a critical factor in enhancing firm resilience. Furthermore, the networking capability of top management may also contribute to firm resilience, but it weakens the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm resilience as a moderating variable. In crisis situations, SMEs tend to rely more strongly on existing networks, rather than engaging in new network to acquire new resources, information, and knowledge, which can hinder their ability to adapt and recover. This study contributes to the further development and understanding of SME resilience, which is essential for enterprises to overcome crises and return to pre-shock levels.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.855-869
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to identify how to efficiently integrate long-term care facilities into geriatric hospitals. We conducted a survey on the current operations of facilities and medical services of 2009 of 192 long-term facilities and 168 geriatric hospitals in Korea between October and November. Technical statistics and chi-square test were conducted on the collected data using the SPSS 13.0/Win program. There was a difference between the two facility types in terms of the co-payment levels of the food services. Both types selected the budget deficit as their major management problem. Ease of access and the surrounding environment were critical factors used to select the location of both types of facilities. Facility users benefited from the discounted co-payments of both facility types. However, facility users wanted more frequent visits and support from their family members during their stay at the facilities. It was discovered that users in the long-term care facilities stayed longer, that is until they died, compared to their counterparts in geriatric hospitals. The two types of facilities provided their services totally separately to users. Users of the two types of facilities are poorly supported and cared for by their families. This study suggests that setting reasonable service fees, paying caretakers, introducing an integrated facility, strengthening facility assessment standards, introducing the family doctor system, and introducing the handling of long-term care insurance by geriatric hospitals would allow the integration between long- term care facilities and geriatric hospitals to be beneficial.