• Journal of the Korea Knowledge Information Technology Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.305-317
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• 2018

This study is about the elderly people's use and experience of Virtual Reality (VR) in order to enhance their quality of life. Leisure is main activity of the elderly. As a result, the quality and diversity of leisure affects the quality of the elderly people's life. VR services including video contents could provide them with advanced and interesting experiences. Across the world, population aging becomes one of the most important problems in each society. The social and economic burden of aging is serious challenge to sustainability welfare of the world, including S. Korea. The authors used virtual reality devices to conduct experiments on 99 aged 50 to 90 (men's average age : 75 and women's average age : 70.8). Through the survey, major variants were measured such as system quality, present sense, enjoyment, intent to reuse, and awareness of advanced technology. Multiple regression analyses with the presence as a dependent variable resulted in a sense of closeness (t = 5.381, p <. 01) and a sense of clarity (t = 4.494, p <. 01). The presence of an independent variant had significant effects on pleasure (t = 4.312, p <. 01) and significant effects on the intent to reuse (t = 3.323,).Therefore, it can be interpreted that the higher the sense of existence, the more pleasure and the intent to reuse it. As a result, the possibility of using VR devices and content to enjoy leisure activities can be found in this study even if the elderly group is unfamiliar with IT devices.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.50-62
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aimed to identify unmet needs and influencing factors for patients who have breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and thyroid cancer. Methods : We reviewed the SCIE publications on unmet need of four prevalent cancer patients published after 2010 through a web search. Results : The measurement tools primarily used were Cancer Survivors' Unmet Needs and Supportive Care Needs Survey questionnaire. Lung cancer patients reported a relatively higher rate of unmet needs. Breast cancer patients frequently reported unmet needs in the healthcare system and information, while thyroid cancer patients in post-treatment management and psychological issues. Colorectal cancer patients reported unmet needs in psychological and comprehensive care domain, and lung cancer patients reported unmet needs in physical and daily life management. Younger age, a shorter time since diagnosis or treatment, and higher levels of anxiety, depression, distress, and reduced quality of life were associated with more significant unmet needs. Conclusions : Unmet needs and influencing factors vary by cancer type. Considering the characteristics of each patient group and unmet needs can help in development of more effective treatment and support programs.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.788-805
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the impact of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction intervention on the mental health and satisfaction with life among residents of southern Bangladesh who had constantly suffered from disaster stress due to perennial flooding. Method: The target group was 138 residents who were pre-surveyed in August 2020 and post-surveyed in November 2021. The interventions consisted of individual incremental housing, public facilities for evacuation, and disaster response training for capacity development. The data were analysed using paired sample t-tests for pre-post changes and one-way analysis of variance to identify differences between treatment groups. Result: The results showed significant improvements in residents' depression, anxiety, somatisation and satisfaction with life after the intervention, with significant differences in mental health levels between the intervention treatments. Specifically, relatively higher disaster mitigation effects were found for individual infrastructure improvements and employment facilities compared to disaster response drills. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the positive role of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction interventions on the mental health recovery of disaster victims and suggest practical approaches that can be applied in disaster risk areas.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.243-252
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• 2007

Anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract and its hydrolyzed fraction. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract (SCE) and its hydrolyzed fraction (SCE-40) on depression and anxiety-related behaviors in mice. Actions of SCE and SCE-40 on serotonin, norepinephrine and GABAergic systems in the rat cerebral cortex membranes were also examined. SCE and SCE-40 significantly reduced the immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension test in mice. Duration time of the open arms in the elevated plus maze test was significantly increased in the SCE and SCE-40-treated groups, compared with the saline-treated control group. SCE and its fraction SCE-40 significantly inhibited serotonin and norepinephrine transporter and GABA receptor binding, compared to the saline-treated group. In addition, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake were significantly suppressed by SCE and SCE-40. These results demonstrate that SCE and SCE-40 produce anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects through enhancing central serotonin, norepinephrine and GABAergic transmissions. These results suggest that SCE and SCE-40 as functional food might prove to be an effective antidepressant and anti-anxiety agent.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2001

Objectives : This study was undertaken to identify the clinical and psychological characteristics in patients of mental disability assessment following traumatic brain injury who had the finding with or without abnormal brain imaging study. Methods : A consecutive series of 59 patients were assessed in hospital from January 1994 to December 1998. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on normal or abnormal brain imaging and the two groups were compared in demographic characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, type of head injury, clinical psychological findings. There were 27 patients with abnormal findings and 32 with normal findings in brain imaging study. Results : Abnormal finding group in brain imaging study had significantly higher incidence of psychosis, decreased memory, decreased appetite, increased nihilistic idea, and intracranial hemorrhage. Also, abnormal finding group showed significantly lower level of performance on the block design subtest of K-WAIS and had significantly lower scores on F, hypochodriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia and schizophrenia subscale of the MMPI. Conclusion : The findings suggest that the patients undergone brain surgery due to intracranial hemorrage at that time of brain injury may have higher frequency of abnormal findings in brain imaging study, complain more cognitive and affective symptoms, and have lower the abstract concept formation and perceptual organization abilities.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.677-681
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• 2005

A study was conducted to see the effect of dietary incorporation of alkali (1.5% NaOH, w/w) processed solvent extracted karanj cake (SKC) supplemented with methionine on growth performance, humoral immune response and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens from 0 to 8 weeks of age. One hundred and twenty, day- old broiler chicks were wing banded, vaccinated against Marek' disease and distributed in a completely randomized design (CRD) into 3 groups of 40 chicks each, which was further replicated to 4 and fed on diet containing soybean meal and those of test groups were fed diets containing alkali (1.5% NaOH) treated SKC partially replacing soybean meal nitrogen of reference diet (12.5%) without or with supplementation of methionine (0.2%). Individual body weight of chicks and replicate-wise feed intakes were recorded at weekly intervals throughout the experimental period. Feed consumption from 1 to 14, 28, 42 and 56 d of age was recorded for each replicate and feed conversion efficiency (weight gain/feed intake) for the respective period was calculated. Mortality was monitored on daily basis. On 28$^{th}$ day of experimental feeding, two birds of each replicate in each dietary group (8 birds/diet) were inoculated with 0.1 ml of a 1.0% suspension of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and the antibody titre (log 2) was measured after 5 days by the microtitre haemmagglutination procedure. After 42 days of experimental feeding, a retention study of 4 days (43-47 d) duration was conducted on all birds to determine the retention of various nutrients such as DM, N, Ca, P and GE. On 43$^{rd}$ day of experimental feeding, one representative bird from each replicate of a dietary treatment (4/dietary group) was sacrificed, after fasting for two hours with free access to water, through cervical dislocation to observe the weight of dressed carcass, primal cuts (breast, thigh, drumstick, back, neck and wing), giblet (liver, heart and gizzard), abdominal fat and digestive organs. The body weight gain of chicks fed reference diet and those fed diet incorporated with NaOH treated SKC (12.5% replacement) with or without methionine supplementation was comparable during 0 to 4 weeks of age. However, dietary incorporation of alkali processed SKC replacing 12.5% nitrogen moiety of soybean meal resulted in growth retardation, subsequently as evidenced by significantly (p<0.05) lowered body weight gain during 0 to 6 weeks of age in birds fed diet incorporated with alkali processed SKC at 6.43% without methionine as compared to those supplemented with methionine or reference diet. Dietary incorporation of alkali (1.5% NaOH) processed SKC replacing 12.5% of soybean meal nitrogen in the diet of broiler chickens had no adverse effect on feed conversion ratio during all the weeks of experimental feeding. The humoral immune response (HIR) as measured by the antibody titre in response to SRBC inoculation was comparable among all the dietary groups. No significant difference in the intake and retention of DM, N, Ca, P or GE was noted among the chicks fed reference and alkali processed SKC incorporated diets with or without methionine supplementation. None of the carcass traits varied significantly due to dietary variations, except the percent weight of liver and giblet. The percent liver weight was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the birds fed diet incorporated with alkali processed SKC as compared to that in other two groups. Thus solvent extracted karanj cake could be incorporated after alkali (1.5% NaOH, w/w) processing at an enhanced level of 6.43%, replacing 12.5% of soybean meal nitrogen, in the broiler diets up to 4 weeks of age, beyond which the observed growth depression on this diet could be alleviated by 0.2% methionine supplementation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.237-245
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• 2017

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to determine the health conditions and health behaviors of merchants at traditional markets and compare them with members of the general population[ED highlight - do you mean "members of the general population"?]. The data were collected from 307 merchants at N traditional market in C City from 1-20 June 2015 at D Health Center of C City after physical measurement and blood collection and then analyzed using SPSS WIN 21.0. The male, female, and overall smoking rates of merchants at the traditional market were 34.2%, 3.5% and 11.1%, the annual drinking rates were 68.4%, 38.5%, and 45.9%, and the rates of subjects under stress and the rates of experiencing depression were 23.7%, 28.5%, and 27.4% and 5.3%, 6.1%, and 5.9%, respectively, which were all relatively lower than members of the general population[ED highlight - please ensure that my changes here are in keeping with your intended meaning.]. The male, female and overall rates of medium-level physical activities and walking were 32.9%, 19.9%, and 23.1% and 85.5%, 79.2%, and 80.8%, respectively, to have relatively good health behaviors, and the mental health is relatively fine than members of the general population[ED highlight - please clarify this, I cannot infer your intended meaning.]. However, test group[ED highlight - the test group? Please specify.] had high prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, as the duration of work increased, the abdominal circumference as well as the prevalence rates of low HDL-cholesterol, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and arthritis increased. Therefore, the specific causes of these shall be determined, and the long-term daily life improvement program shall be prepared and applied continuously for merchants at traditional markets.[ED highlight - please specify what these refer to; however, the entire sentence can probably be deleted.

• Survey Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-32
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• 2009

This study examines the changes of income, everyday life and living condition of consumer in the aftermath of financial crisis. In this period financial crisis was the crucial factor behind various social problems such as the dissolution of families and individuals. This research explores the range and degree of impact on individuals and social groups after the financial crisis. We explore the social mobility in terns of maintaining middle class and falling into the lower class measured by middle class identification. The 60% of the middle class before the financial crisis maintained the middle class position and the rest of people left out of middle class and fell into lower class. The 60% of those who has been maintained and has just became the members of middle class were college - educated people. The great part of people whose income and assets has increased after financial crisis belongs to college - educated group. Many of those whose income have decreased belong to the high school educated group and blow, the older than 50 years old, self - employed without employee and unpaid family employee. Those whose income and assets decreased and those who experienced downward mobility have undergone changes in everyday life and living conditions as a consumer. Many of them experienced the unemployment, nonpayment or credit - delinquency, dissolution of family, worsening health condition, depression, feeling the impulse to commit suicide simultaneously. The poor consumer disposition, reduction of living expenses, sound consumer culture have expanded to people since economic crisis. The middle class reported that the cost of private education often goes beyond the family ability to pay. The lower class has suffered from the cost of living. In a meanwhile luxury goods preference, consumer consciousness for status symbol have continuously increased among all the classes since 1997. Thus fluctuations of one's income and social mobility during past 10 years were some of the major determinants which brought about the various damaging life events, changes of living conditions and everyday lives as a consumer.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.76-84
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• 1999

Objectives: A number of studies have shown that sleep deprivation results in reduced vigilance and increased negative affects such as tension, depression and anger. However there are few studies about effects of sleep deprivation on anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 40 hour sleep deprivation on state anxiety, affects, sleepiness and fatigue. The authors also intended to study the effect of trait-anxiety on these psychological variables after sleep deprivation. Methods: Twenty nine subjects(22 men, 7 women, $24.59{\pm}1.35$ years of age) participated in this study. Subjects had no past history of psychiatric disorders and physical illnesses, and had normal sleep-waking cycle without current sleep disturbances. All of the subjects completed sleep dairy for two weeks to exclude some who suffered from chronic sleep deprivation or sleep disturbances. Subjects were instructed to get a normal sleep as usual at night before the study. After awakening, subjects remained awake for 40 hours under continuous surveillance. They completed State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Index of General Affect, Stanford Sleepiness Scale and Fatigue Questionnaire every three hours, therefore they completed the scales 14 times totally. Subjects were dictated not to take caffeine, alcohol, or any medications on the day of the study. Heavy exercises and naps were restricted too. Results: Sleep deprivation resulted in increased state anxiety, negative general affects, and increased sleepiness and fatigue(p<.001). Dividing into high trait-anxiety group and low trait-anxiety group, there was significant sleep deprivation x traitanxiety interaction effect on general affect(p<.05). But, there was no significant sleep deprivation x trait-anxiety interaction effect on state-anxiety, sleepiness and fatigue. During sleep deprivation, the highest ratings of scales on anxiety, negative affect, sleepiness and fatigue occurred between 4 : 00AM and 7 : 00AM. Conclusions: These results show that sleep deprivation results in increased anxiety, mood state disturbance and increment of sleepiness and fatigue. These findings also suggest that trait-anxiety is a factor that influences the degree of worsening in general affect caused by sleep deprivation. During sleep deprivation, the rating curves of anxiety, affect, sleepiness and fatigue show rhythmicity that may be related to circadian rhythm.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.134-145
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• 2001

Introduction: Noises in the ear, whether real or imagined, are called tinnitus. Subjective causes of tinnitus(which is heard only by the patient) are extremely common and the majority of them are treated conservatively. For certain individuals their tinnitus is a major handicap; for others a trivial concern. The most common from of subjective tinnitus is a rushing, hissing or buzzing noise; it is frequently associated with sensorineural heanng loss. The patient may be unaware of the hearing loss, especially if it is a high frequency deficit of moderate severity. The character of the tinnitus may give a clue to the etiology. But the patient often has difficulty in explaining his/her tinnitus in absolute terms, as they have no other tinnitus with which to compare it but their own Tinnitus, like pain, is a subjective state and trying to objectively assess the severity is problematic. Audiological techniques to match subjective loudness to machine-produced noise may offer some help, in that sound intensity matches can bear little correspondence to subjective complaint. In spite of many studies, most patients presently seen complaining of tinnitus are told by their doctors that there is no treatment and that they will have to learn to live with this symptom. Objectives: To perform a clinical analysis of tinnitus and estimate the efficacy of Oriental Medical treatment according to the Byeonjeung(辨證). Subject: We studied 34 patients with complaints of tinnitus who had visited Pundang Cha Oriental Medicine Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology from March 1998 to February 2000. All of them had been treated 2 or 3 times a week with acupuncture treatment and had taken herbs according to the Byeonjeung(辨證) method. It was therefore possible for me to know whether their symptoms improved or not. Parameters Observed and Method: We treated them with acupuncture & herb-medication. Sometimes we gave them moxibustion or negative therapy with bloodletting at the acupuncture points(耳門, 聽宮, 聽會). Parameters Observed 1) Distribution of age & sex 2) Chief complaints 3) The sites of tinnitus 4) The quality of tinnitu 5) The duration of disease 6) The problem induced tinnitus 7) Factors increasing disease severity 8) The classification of the Byeonjeung(辨證) 9) The efficacy of treatments Results: 1. Age and sex distribution: The most common occurrence was found in males in their twenties: 6 males($17.7\%$), and in females in their thirties and over sixty: 8 females($23.5\%$). Total patient numbers for men and women were 20 men($58.8\%$), 14 women ($41.2\%$). 2. The most frequent major complaints were hearing disturbances related to tinnitus; and dizziness with tinnitus; each comprising 10 cases($29.4\%$). There were also 7 patients($20.6\%$) with only tinnitus. 3. Tinnitus sites: 13($38.2\%$) said that they felt tinnitus in both ears, equally. In the right ear, 9($26.5\%$), in the left, 6($17.7\%$). 4. The most frequent descriptive symptoms of tinnitus were: humming, hissing, buzzing etc. 5. The duration of disease. 14cases($41.2\%$) had a duration of less than 1 year. 6. 15cases($44.1\%$) complained that it was hard to watch TV or make a phone call because of tinnitus. 10 cases($29.4\%$) complained about depression. 7. Factors increasing severity of tinnitus: ⅰ) fatigue: 18cases($52.9\%$) ⅱ) stress/ tension: 10 cases($29.4\%$) ⅲ) alcohol and tobacco: 5cases($l4.7\%$) 8. Classification through Byeonjeung : ⅰ) 19 cases($55.9\%$) were classified as showing Deficiency syndrome. ⅱ) 15 cases($44.l\%$) were classified as showing Excess syndrome. The deficiency of Qi was 7($20.6\%$), deficiency of Xue, 8($23.5\%$) and insufficiency of the Kidney Yin & Yang, 4($11.8\%$). The flare of Liver fire was 8($23.5\%$) and phlegm-fire, 7($20.6\%$), 9. The efficacy of treatments showed: an improvement in 17cases($50.0\%$); no real improvement or changes in 13 cases($38.2\%$); and some worsening in 4 cases($11.8\%$). In the group with deficiency in Qi, 4($57.1\%$) improved, 1($14.3\%$) showed no change and 2($28.6\%$) were aggravated. In the cases of deficiency in Xue, 6($75.0\%$) improved, 2($25.0\%$) showed no change. In the cases of insufficiency of Kidney Yin & Yang, 3($75.0\%$) showed no change and 1($25.0\%$) were aggravated. In the group of flare of Liver fire, 4($50.0\%$) improved, 3($37.5\%$) no change and 1($12.5\%$) were aggravated. In the cases of phlegm-fire, 3($42.9\%$) improved, 4($57.1\%$) showed no change. Conclusion: We would recommend that any further studies of tinnitus utilize trial treatments of longer than 2 months duration, as any positive effects observed in our study showed that improvement occurred fairly slowly. And we suggest that this study could be utilized as a reference for clinical Oriental Medical treatment of tinnitus. If we try to apply music or sound therapy treatment properly combined with ours, we expect it to provide psycological stability in addition to inducing masking effects, even though it may not directly decrease or completely remove tinnitus.