• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2017

Objectives: To evaluate sleep characteristics and factors associated with sleep disturbance in schizophrenia patients with concurrent active psychotic symptoms and insomnia. Methods: Schizophrenia patients with insomnia and active psychotic symptoms (n = 63) were recruited from community-based mental rehabilitative facilities. Sleep scales such as the Korean version of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI-K) and the Korean Version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-K) were evaluated and those with ISI-K >15 were included in the study. Psychotic, anxiety and depressive symptoms were rated with the Brief Psychotic Rating Scale (BPRS), the Korean Version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (K-ASI), and the Korean Version of the Beck Depression Inventory-I (K-BDI), respectively. Pearson correlation analyses were performed between the sociodemographic data, ISI-K and PSQI-K. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors which affected the ISI-K and PSQI-K. Results: The mean ISI-K and PSQI-K scores were $18.1{\pm}2.6$ and $12.0{\pm}2.2$, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between age of onset and ISI-K score and positive correlations between BRPS and PSQI-K scores and between K-ASI and both ISI-K and PSQI-K scores. Multiple regression analyses for both ISI-K and PSQI-K with K-ASI, age of onset, and BPRS as covariates revealed K-ASI as the only significant remaining factor. Conclusion: Our study suggests that anxiety symptoms are associated with insomnia symptoms in schizophrenia patients regardless of depressive or psychotic symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 2023

Recently, Korean government has introduced Multi Metric Indices (MMI) using various biocommunity information for aquatic ecosystem monitoring and ecosystem health assessment at the national level. MMI is a key tool in national ecosystem health assessment programs. The MMI consists of indices that respond to different target environmental factors, including environmental disturbance (e.g. nutrients, hydrological and hydraulic situation of site etc.). We used zooplankton community information collected from Korean lakes to estimate the availability of candidate zooplankton MMI indices that can be used to assess lake ecosystem health. First, we modified the candidate indices proposed by the U.S. EPA to suit Korean conditions. The modified indices were subjected to individual index suitability analysis, correlation analysis with environmental variables, and redundancy analysis among indices, and 19 indices were finally selected. Taxonomic diversity was suggested to be an important indicator for all three taxonomic groups (cladoceran, copepod, rotifer), on the other hand, the indices using biomass for large cladocerans and copepods, while the indices using abundance were suggested for small cladocerans and rotifers.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.4467-4474
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor of the quality of elderly women's sleep. The subjects in this study were 198 elderly women who were at the age of 60 and up. One instrument used to assess their quality of sleep was Buysse, et. al.(1989)'s Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI), and the other used to check their urinary incontinence was Jackson, et. al.(1996)'s Urination Symptom Inventory. The collected data were analyzed by the statistical package SPSS 18.0. The elderly women got $7.09{\pm}4.29$ in the quality of sleep of the PSQI, and 67.7 percent suffered from sleep disorders. Among the subfactors of the PSQI, their subjective quality of sleep was low, and the quality of sleep during, sleep latency was low as well. And their sleep disturbance was great. In contrast, the effectiveness of their habitual sleep was relatively good, and they didn't take medicine such as a sleep pill a lot, and their functional sleep disorder in the daytime wasn't great. There were differences in the quality of sleep according to their education, financial state, self-rated health status and family relations, and whether they worked out on a regular basis or not made a difference to that as well. No differences were found according to age, religion, occupation and having a coffee or not. There was a positive correlation between their quality of sleep in the PSQI and urinary incontinence(r=.51, p=.000). Out of the subfactors of the PSQI, the sleep disturbance factor was most closely linked to urinary incontinence(r=.465, p=.001). Finally, urinary incontinence and subjective health status were identified as the variables that exerted a statistically significant influence on the quality of sleep. Those variables made a 31% prediction of it.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.907-916
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of vegetation structure, vegetation succession, and species diversity of artificially planted Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) stands. The study was carried out by performing vegetation survey for eight CO stands located in Jeollanam-do Province, Korea. Analysis on vegetation classification and ordinations of the stands was conducted using the data from the vegetation survey, and as a result, the stands were classified into five types of communities. Community I showed a considerably lower index of species diversity when compared to other communities because the canopy of the dominant CO was so highly dense that the low-height vegetation was not able to develop or the low-height vegetation almost disappeared due to elimination of weed trees. Meanwhile, the Community II - IV had relatively higher indices of species diversity because various native tree species mixed with the low-height vegetation and competed with each other in the understory and shrub layers to some degree of stability or in their early stage of vegetation development. Community V, lastly, showed higher use intensity as a recreational forest, thus developing simpler vegetation structure on account of artificial intervention. There was positive correlation between photosynthetically active radiation entering the forest floor, number of observed species and index of species diversity. Such characteristics of vegetation structure in CO stands are closely associated with forest management and prescription for planting reforestation, thinning, and brush cutting in the past. There was a slight difference in vegetation structure and species diversity by communities, based on rotation time of the vegetational succession, process of disturbance frequency and disturbance, development, and maturity by planting CO stands. However, when compared to natural forests, the CO stands showed simpler vegetation structure. Because artificial forests are vulnerable in ecosystem service with lower species diversity, a drive for ecological management is needed for such forests to change into healthy ecosystems that can display functions of public benefit.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2020

Objectives : Loneliness and poor sleep quality are common phenomena in old age and are associated with negative physical and mental health. However, little is known regarding the relation between loneliness and sleep quality. The aim of this study was to examine the association of loneliness and sleep quality among the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,090 subjects who are the community-residing elderly living alone. Sociodemographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder, sleep quality and levels of loneliness were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and a specific semi-structured interview conducted by trained nurses. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data regarding sociodemographic variable and loneliness. Univariate and Multivariate regression analyses were applied to examine the association between loneliness and sleep quality after adjustment for multiple confounding variables. Results : The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) mean score of "lonely group" (9.2±4.2) was significantly higher than that of "not lonely group" (7.3±3.7) (student-t test, p<0.001). Loneliness was significantly associated with PSQI (standardized β=0.065, p=0.025), sleep disturbance (standardized β=0.086, p=0.005), use of sleep medication (standardized β=0.065, p=0.034) after adjustment for possible confounding variables including sex and mood disorder. Conclusions : Loneliness was associated with sleep disturbance and this finding implied negative impact of loneliness on sleep quality of older adults. Public health promotion efforts to reduce loneliness may improve sleep quality and mental health in the elderly living alone.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2007

The purpose of the present study was to determine the preventive effects of the two antioxidant vitamin E and catechin on DEHP-induced disturbance of spermatogenesis in male rats. Rats at 4 weeks of age were randomly allocated into five groups with 20 animals per group. The first group was not any administrated as control. The second group was administrated DEHP (2 g/kg) daily for 14 days. The third group was administrated vitamin E (500 IU/kg) following DEHP treatment by the same method (daily for 14 days). The fourth group was administrated catechin (200 mg/kg) following DEHP treatment by the same method. The fifth group was co-administrated vitamin E (500 IU/kg) and catechin (200 mg/kg) following DEHP treatment by the same method. In order to determine the preventive effects, we examined pathological changes of testis with apoptotic index, and characteristics of sperm with computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Vitamin E and catechin supplementation were significantly prevented the testicular atrophy, apoptosis of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules and abnormal rate of sperm. Moreover, sperm concentration, viability and motility was significantly recovered in groups of alone and along with vitamin E and catechin. The results suggest that preventive effects of alone and along administration of vitamin E and catechin on DEHP-induced testicular atrophy damages have been demonstrated.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2002

In this study, a new methodology for the assessment of liquefaction potential is proposed. Since there is no data on the liquefaction damage in Korea, the dynamic behavior of fully saturated soils is characterized through laboratory dynamic tests. There are two experimental parameters related to the soil liquefaction resistance characteristics : the one is the index of disturbance determined by $G/G_{max}$ curve and the other is a plastic shear strain trajectory evaluated from stress-strain curve. The proposed methodology takes advantage of the site response analysis based on real earthquake records to determine the driving effect of earthquake. In the evaluation of liquefaction resistance characteristics, it is verified experimentally that the magnitude of cyclic shear stress has no influence on the critical value of plastic shear strain trajectory at which the initial liquefaction occurs. Cyclic triaxial tests under the conditions of various cyclic stress ratios and torsional shear tests are carried out far the purpose of verification. Through this study, the critical value at the initial liquefaction is found unique regardless of the cyclic stress ratio. It is also f3und that liquefaction resistance curve drawn with disturbance and plastic shear strain trajectory can simulate the behavior of fully saturated soils under dynamic loads.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.44-70
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• 2022

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution and characteristics of vascular plants resources in Palbongsan Mt., to compare with previous study and to provide basic information for management and preservation of vegetation. We surveyed eleven times by dividing routes from April of 2018 to May of 2021. The result of this survey revealed a total of 450 taxa, consisting of 101 families, 298 genera, 405 species, 11 subspecies, 28 varieties and 6 forms. Among them, the Korean endemic plants were 8 taxa and the rare plants were 4 taxa. The floristic target species were 30 taxa including 2 taxa of grade IV, 6 taxa of grade III, 7 taxa of grade II, and 15 taxa of grade I. The naturalized plants were 39 taxa, the percent of naturalized plant species was calculated to be 8.67% and urbanization index was 12.15%. Ecosystem disturbance wild plants were 5 taxa. It is considered continuous monitoring and periodic vegetation management of the distribution status of naturalized plants and ecosystem disturbance wild plants found at the edges of forests, fields and forests would be carried out.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2021

Objectives: This study reported about a patient with a right middle cerebral artery infarction whose gait disturbance was improved by Korean medicine treatment. Methods: The patient was treated with a Korean herbal medicine (Gami-yukmijihwang-tang) along with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and physical therapy. The treatment effect was evaluated with the manual muscle test (MMT) and the Korean version of the modified Barthel index (K-MBI). The gait of the patient was evaluated by a 10-m walk test (10MWT), the timed up and go (TUG) test, the functional ambulation profile (FAP) score, and the functional ambulatory category (FAC) score. Spatiotemporal parameters were evaluated using a walkway system (GAITRite®, CIR Systems, Inc., USA). Results: After 83 days of traditional Korean medicine treatment, the K-MBI and FAC scores improved from 50 to 70 and from 1 to 4, respectively. The 10MWT and TUG tests also improved from 24.86 to 16.66 sec and from 22.35 to 17.62 sec, respectively. GAITRite® measurements reflected gait improvements: the FAP score improved from 55 to 86 sec; the step time improved from 0.72 to 0.669 sec; the step length improved from 31.076 cm to 41.284 cm; the gait velocity improved from 42.8 cm/sec to 64.1 cm/sec; the cadence improved from 93.6 steps/min to 90.8 steps/min. No adverse effects resulting from treatment or evaluation occurred during the admission period. Conclusions: This study suggests that traditional Korean medicine treatment may reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life in patients with cerebral infarction.

• 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.