• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.311-323
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• 2021

Objective: The disabled are in a blind spot for obtaining information on drugs, and the pharmacies' counseling on drug use is centered on non-disabled people. Few studies have investigated the current statuses of drug use by type of disability. The purpose of this study is to understand the drug use by type of disability and by life cycle of visually impaired and hearing impaired in Korea. Methods: The study participants consisted of 16 people with visually impairments, 12 people with hearing impairments. One in-depth interview was conducted per participant, and each interview was recorded and documented. Results: Common barriers against safe medication and medical service uses across disability types are 'lack of consideration and service for the disabled, limited access to medical facilities due to disability, limited access to information regarding medication use, psychological anxiety about drug use and side effects, and inconvenience regarding COVID-19 epidemic. The specific factors were 'difficulties in identifying proper medicines and following prescribed dosages' in the case of visually impaired, and 'problems with sign language interpretation system' for the hearing impaired. Conclusion: Disabled people are hindered from using medicines properly due to various factors. Based on the content derived from this study, it is necessary to eliminate the inhibition factors and devise specific measures for the safety of each type of disorder such as developing a method for medication counseling considering disabilities and establishing communication support systems.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.591-597
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• 2022

As social anxiety is increasing due to the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, the responses at the level of local governments are also changing depending on the characteristics. We analyzed the factors influencing perceptions of social safety as they relate to the trustworthiness of local governments. Based on a 2020 social survey of 16 cities, counties, and districts in Busan Metropolitan City, the effects of householder characteristics, economic characteristics, local attachment characteristics, and social safety perception characteristics on the reliability of the local government were analyzed through an ordinal logistic regression analysis. It was found that the more vulnerable the class was and the safer the region was, the higher the trust was in the basic local government. In order to respond and preemptively recover damage in natural and social disaster situations, continuous efforts are needed to strengthen the capabilities of basic local governments.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.39-46
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• 2022

The overall digital transformation in society is rapidly progressing with the corona virus epidemic. In particular, in the field of cultural heritage and museums, digital transformation is taking place throughout the preservation, management, and utilization of cultural heritage. To respond to this, the importance of cultivating the digital literacy of museum professionals to select and utilize digital cultural heritage information is increasing. However, the current digital capacity education of museum professionals has not reached the cultivation of digital literacy due to one-way theory and one-way practical education. To overcome this, we propose a digital capacity building program using virtual museums. We propose a curriculum based on participatory museums, cooperative learning, and project-based learning theories. Learners experience the entire process of acquiring, selecting, and utilizing digital cultural heritage information through individual, cooperative, constant, exhibitions, and project-based learning programs. We were evaluated by experts in terms of education, museum education, and ICT technology education to prove its usability and derive improvements. This study will contribute to building the digital capacity of museum professionals.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.29-38
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• 2022

The enormous sway of COVID-19 on the international financial market has been felt across the globe. The financial markets of Bangladesh have also been similarly affected by the global epidemic and experienced a significant increase in volatility. To scrutinise the connection between COVID-19 and the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) indices' return and instability, this study uses data of the DSE from February 2014 to September 2021. A comparative examination of the return and instability of the stock indices of the DSE has also been done considering the outbreak of the current COVID-19 situation. After using the GJR-GARCH (1,1) model, this review uncovers that the outbreak of COVID-19 has a statistically positive noteworthy association with the DSE stock indices' instability, which increases the market's volatility. Traders' fear and the rising frequency of COVID-19 reported patients could cause this. Besides, according to this study, COVID-19 shows a substantial positive linkage with stock market returns that increases the market's return. An appealing valuation, lower interest rates in the banking channel, economic rebound following the closure to prevent coronavirus transmission, improved remittance inflows, and a return of export revenues could all have contributed to this outcome. In addition, the findings also reveal that all market indices are in a mean-reverting phase.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.294-306
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• 2021

In the era of brand economy, companies fulfill their social responsibilities to enhance consumers' brand trust, thereby enhancing brand loyalty. On the other hand, the current Covid-19 epidemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation of enterprises and has also made consumers pay more attention to the online reputation of enterprises. Based on the Chinese consumer market, this paper studies the corporate social responsibility, Internet word-of-mouth, brand trust, and brand loyalty of electronic product companies. To verify the impact of corporate social responsibility on brand loyalty through Internet word-of-mouth and brand trust, this paper issued a questionnaire survey to Chinese consumers. A total of 469 questionnaires were used for empirical analysis, and SPSS21.0 was used to analyze the collected data. The results are summarized as follows: (1) CSR has a positive impact on brand trust. (2) CSR has a positive impact on brand loyalty. (3) Brand trust has a positive impact on brand loyalty. (4) Brand trust and e-WOM play an intermediary role in CSR and brand loyalty.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.79.1-79.12
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• 2020

Background: Recently, the pork industry of Thailand faced an epidemic of highly virulent strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which spread throughout Southeast Asia, including the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Cambodia. Hence, the rapid and on-site screening of infected pigs on a farm is essential. Objectives: To develop the new aptamer as a biosensor for detection PRRSV which are rapid and on-site screening of infected pig. Methods: New aptamers against PRSSV were identified using the combined techniques of capillary electrophoresis, colorimetric assay by gold nanoparticles, and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Results: Thirty-six candidate aptamers of the PRRSV were identified from the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) by capillary electrophoresis. Only 8 out of 36 aptamers could bind to the PRSSV, as shown in a colorimetric assay. Of the 8 aptamers tested, only the 1F aptamer could bind specifically to the PRSSV when presented with the classical swine fever virus and a pseudo rabies virus. The QCM was used to confirm the specificity and sensitivity of the 1F aptamer with a detection limit of 1.87 × 10¹⁰ particles. Conclusions: SELEX screening of the aptamer equipped with capillary electrophoresis potentially revealed promising candidates for detecting the PRRSV. The 1F aptamer exhibited the highest specificity and selectivity against the PRRSV. These findings suggest that 1F is a promising aptamer for further developing a novel PRRSV rapid detection kit.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1120-1125
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• 2022

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), the causative agent of Japanese encephalitis (JE), is an importantly zoonotic, vector-borne virus widely prevalent in Asia. Although JE has been well controlled in China, its prevalence remains a huge threat to the pig industry as well as human health. Herein, we report on our molecular and serological investigations of JEV among pigs from different regions in Hunan Province of China from 2019 to 2021. Collectively, 19.27% (583/3026, 95% Confidential Interval (CI) 17.86-20.68) of sampled pigs were positive for JEV IgG antibody as revealed by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the seroprevalence of JEV among pigs was significantly associated with the development stage and breeding scale (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, 10.99% (42/382, 95% CI 7.86-14.13) of tissue samples of pigs with suspected clinical symptoms of JE and 23.44% (15/64, 95% CI 13.06-33.82) of mosquito batches were JEV-positive via reverse polymerase chain reaction. In addition, the complete E gene sequences of 14 JEV strains identified in this study were amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all 14 JEV strains belonged to genotype I-b and displayed a distinct genetic relationship to the present JEV vaccine strain (SA14-14-2). In conclusion, our results revealed not only the severe prevalence of JEV in Hunan Province, but also that JEV I-b might be the predominant genotype in Hunan Province, suggesting therefore that effective measures for JE control are urgently needed.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2020

Since World Health Organization (WHO) declared Pandemic about COVID-19 at 11 March, 2020, 214 countries now have more than 5.8 million confirmed cases and 360 thousand deaths (29 March 2020). The pandemic of COVID-19 caused lockdown in numerous countries and cities. Strict social distancing also affects most of fields such as health, education, politics, religion, and economy. South Korea actively uses various digital technologies to fight against COVID-19, which is introduced internationally as a successful example. This article introduces the development background and functionalities of COVID-19 Epidemic Investigation Support System (EISS) as well as Smart City Datahub, the core technology that enables the rapid development and application of EISS. Moreover, based on this example, the role and importance of horizontal common platform, such as Datahub, are discussed in the view of future city.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2021

Background Pain in the postoperative body contouring patient has traditionally been managed with narcotic medication. In an effort to minimize side effects and prevent addiction, plastic surgeons are searching for novel ways to provide adequate analgesia, one of which is nerve blocks. This study was conducted with a meta-analysis that evaluates the efficacy of these blocks for patients who undergo breast surgery. Methods A search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database for articles including the terms "post-operative analgesia" OR "postoperative pain management" AND "in plastic surgery" OR "in cosmetic surgery" OR "in elective surgery" in February 2019 generated five studies on elective breast augmentation and reduction mammoplasty that reported pain scores and quantities of opioids consumed. Independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and a random effects model were implemented for evaluation. Results A total of 317 patients were identified as having undergone body contouring of the breast, about half of which received a nerve block. Pain scores on a 1-10 scale and opioid dose-equivalents were calculated. Those who were blocked had an average score of 2.40 compared to 3.64 for those who did not (P<0.001), and required an average of 5.20 less narcotic doses (P<0.001). Pain relief following subpectoral augmentation was best achieved with type-II blocks as opposed to type-I and type-II with serratus plane (P<0.001). Conclusions The opioid epidemic has extended to all surgical specialties. Implementation of a nerve block seems to be an efficacious and cost-effective mechanism to not only help with post-operative pain, but also lower the need for narcotics, especially in subpectoral augmentation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.568-577
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• 2022

Objectives: Many studies have shown that social distancing, as a non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) that is one of the various measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an effective preventive measure to suppress the spread of infectious diseases. This study explored the relationships between traditional health-related behaviors in Korea and social distancing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2020 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (n=98 149). The dependent variable was the degree of social distancing practice to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic. Independent variables included health-risk behaviors and health-promoting behaviors. The moderators were vaccination and unmet medical needs. Predictors affecting the practice of social distancing were identified through hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Smokers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.924) and frequent drinkers (aOR, 0.933) were more likely not to practice social distancing. A greater degree of physical activity was associated with a higher likelihood of practicing social distancing (aOR, 1.029). People who were vaccinated against influenza were more likely to practice social distancing than those who were not (aOR, 1.150). However, people with unmet medical needs were less likely to practice social distancing than those who did not experience unmet medical needs (aOR, 0.757). Conclusions: Social distancing practices were related to traditional health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and physical activity. Their patterns showed a clustering effect of health inequality. Therefore, when establishing a strategy to strengthen social distancing, a strategy to protect the vulnerable should be considered concomitantly.