• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.14-27
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• 2024

Unlike the shelf sand ridges moribund in motion, nearshore sand ridges are highly mobile, sensitive to changes in ocean environments, thereby becoming of particular interest with respect to morphological changes. About 5 km off the Daesan port, the Jangan Sand Ridge has been undergoing severe subsea morphological change over the past two decades. Understanding the nature of sand ridges is critical to elucidate the causes of morphological changes. In this context, this study aims at understanding the characteristics and distribution patterns of surface sediments of the ridge and its vicinity. For this purpose, 227 sediment samples were acquired using a grab-sampler, the grain sizes being analysed by the sieve-pipette method. In addition, comparison of grain sizes in sediments between 1997 and 2021 was made in order to investigate the 25-years change in sediment composition. Surface sediments along the ridge axis are fine to medium sands with 2-3 phi in mean grain size, whereas, in the trough of ridge, the sediments are composed of gravels and muddy sandy gravels with mean sizes of -2 to -6 phi. Sediments in the crest of the ridge are well-sorted with normal distribution, on the other hand, the basal sediments are poorly-sorted and positively skewed. Along the ridge crest, the sediments are negatively skewed. From 1997 to 2021, the ridge sediments became largely coarser about 0.5 phi. Such coarsening trend in mean grain size can be explained either by elimination of fine sediments during high waves in winter or elimination of fines suspended during sand mining activities in the past. Spatial distribution pattern of surface sediments shows that ca. 30 m thick of the sand ridge itself overlies the thin relict gravels. The strong asymmetry of sand ridge, the exposure of ridge base, and reworked gravel lags suggest that Jangan sand ridge is probably sediment-deficit and hence erosive in nature at present.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-115
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• 2024

In Korea, exposure to stress has been accompanied by mental pain in the process of achieving many growth along with rapid development, various social problems, and the frequency of emergency hospitalization is increasing.. In the case of mentally ill patients, "unwanted hospitalization" is a problem, and police and 119 paramedics try to suppress the body of mentally ill patients, and many problems are exposed This is because the constituent requirements of the provisions of emergency hospitalization under the Mental Health and Welfare Act do not reflect reality, and each institution has a different position on one mentally ill person, and emergency hospitalization does not proceed smoothly or leads to friction between related organizations, and the safety of the mentally ill or others is not secured. Emergency hospitalization is defined as "a person who finds a person who is presumed to be mentally ill and is at high risk of harming his or her health or safety or others," and if the situation is so urgent that he or she cannot afford time to go through the hospitalization procedure to decide on his or her own hospitalization, he or she can request emergency hospitalization with the consent of a doctor and a police officer. In this case, 119 paramedics are escorted to a psychiatric institution. This provision of emergency hospitalization poses many problems in the process of transferring to psychiatric institutions. If a police officer or 119 paramedics in charge of practice use "physical force" during the emergency hospitalization process, side effects will inevitably occur, and professional negligence can be a problem. Specifically, when exercising physical force, the minimum necessary physical restraint based on laws and regulations and proportional principles is required, and the lack of the duty of care of 119 paramedics or police officers under the laws and regulations will eventually be resolved by applying other laws and regulations. Accordingly, it will be an opportunity for mentally ill patients to be transferred to psychiatric institutions in a safe environment by changing the subject of emergency hospitalization provisions under the Mental Health Welfare Act, defining and prescribing the use of physical protection guards as the enforcement regulations of the Mental Health Act, setting the duty of care for 119 paramedics and police officers, and creating an environment for transportation so that mentally ill patients can be treated safely.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.48-58
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• 2024

Salmonella is a common food-borne intracellular bacterial pathogen that has triggered significant public health concerns. Salmonella hosts' genetic factors play a pivotal role in determining their susceptibility to the pathogen. Cysteine-rich intestinal protein 1 (CRIP1), a member of LIM/double zinc finger protein family, is widely expressed in humans, such as in the lungs, spleen, and especially the gut. Recently, CRIP1 has been reported as a key marker of several immune disorders; however, the effect of CRIP1 on bacterial infection remains unknown. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between Salmonella infection and CRIP1 gene deficiency, as Salmonella spp. is known to invade the Peyer's patches of the small intestine, where CRIP1 is highly expressed. We found that CRIP1-deficient conditions could not alter the characteristics of bone marrow-derived myeloid cells in terms of phagocytosis on macrophages and the activation of costimulatory molecules on dendritic cells using ex vivo differentiation. Moreover, flow cytometry data showed comparable levels of MHCII⁺CD11b⁺CD11c⁺ dendritic cells and MHCII⁺F4/80⁺CD11b⁺ macrophages between WT and CRIP1 knockout (KO) mice. Interestingly, the basal population of monocytes in the spleen and neutrophils in MLNs is more abundant in a steady state of CRIP1 KO mice than WT mice. Here, we demonstrated that the CRIP1 genetic factor plays dispensable roles in host susceptibility to Salmonella Typhimurium infections and the activation of myeloid cells. In addition, differential immune cell populations without antigen exposure in CRIP1 KO mice suggest that the regulation of CRIP1 expression may be a novel immunotherapeutic approach to various infectious diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.1477-1492
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• 2021

Purpose Dedicated breast CT is an emerging volumetric X-ray imaging modality for diagnosis that does not require any painful breast compression. To improve the detection rate of weakly enhanced lesions, an adaptive image rescaling (AIR) technique was proposed. Materials and Methods Two disks containing five identical holes and five holes of different diameters were scanned using 60/100 kVp to obtain single-energy CT (SECT), dual-energy CT (DECT), and AIR images. A piece of pork was also scanned as a subclinical trial. The image quality was evaluated using image contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The difference of imaging performances was confirmed using student's t test. Results Total mean image contrast of AIR (0.70) reached 74.5% of that of DECT (0.94) and was higher than that of SECT (0.22) by 318.2%. Total mean CNR of AIR (5.08) was 35.5% of that of SECT (14.30) and was higher than that of DECT (2.28) by 222.8%. A similar trend was observed in the subclinical study. Conclusion The results demonstrated superior image contrast of AIR over SECT, and its higher overall image quality compared to DECT with half the exposure. Therefore, AIR seems to have the potential to improve the detectability of lesions with dedicated breast CT.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.1493-1504
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• 2021

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the 16-cm axial volume scan technique for calculating the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) using non-enhanced chest CT. Materials and Methods This study prospectively enrolled 20 participants who underwent both, non-enhanced chest CT (16-cm-coverage axial volume scan technique) and calcium-score CT, with the same parameters, differing only in slice thickness (in non-enhanced chest CT = 0.625, 1.25, 2.5 mm; in calcium score CT = 2.5 mm). The CACS was calculated using the conventional Agatston method. The difference between the CACS obtained from the two CT scans was compared, and the degree of agreement for the clinical significance of the CACS was confirmed through sectional analysis. Each calcified lesion was classified by location and size, and a one-to-one comparison of non-contrast-enhanced chest CT and calcium score CT was performed. Results The correlation coefficients of the CACS obtained from the two CT scans for slice thickness of 2.5, 1.25, and 0.625 mm were 0.9850, 0.9688, and 0.9834, respectively. The mean differences between the CACS were -21.4% at 0.625 mm, -39.4% at 1.25 mm, and -76.2% at 2.5 mm slice thicknesses. Sectional analysis revealed that 16 (80%), 16 (80%), and 13 (65%) patients showed agreement for the degree of coronary artery disease at each slice interval, respectively. Inter-reader agreement was high for each slice interval. The 0.625 mm CT showed the highest sensitivity for detecting calcified lesions. Conclusion The values in the non-contrast-enhanced chest CT, using the 16-cm axial volume scan technique, were similar to those obtained using the CACS in the calcium score CT, at 0.625 mm slice thickness without electrocardiogram gating. This can ultimately help predict cardiovascular risk without additional radiation exposure.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.1505-1523
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• 2021

Purpose Although chest CT has been discussed as a first-line test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), little research has explored the implications of CT exposure in the population. To review chest CT protocols and radiation doses in COVID-19 publications and explore the number needed to diagnose (NND) and the number needed to predict (NNP) if CT is used as a first-line test. Materials and Methods We searched nine highly cited radiology journals to identify studies discussing the CT-based diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Study-level information on the CT protocol and radiation dose was collected, and the doses were compared with each national diagnostic reference level (DRL). The NND and NNP, which depends on the test positive rate (TPR), were calculated, given a CT sensitivity of 94% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 91%-96%) and specificity of 37% (95% CI: 26%-50%), and applied to the early outbreak in Wuhan, New York, and Italy. Results From 86 studies, the CT protocol and radiation dose were reported in 81 (94.2%) and 17 studies (19.8%), respectively. Low-dose chest CT was used more than twice as often as standard-dose chest CT (39.5% vs.18.6%), while the remaining studies (44.2%) did not provide relevant information. The radiation doses were lower than the national DRLs in 15 of the 17 studies (88.2%) that reported doses. The NND was 3.2 scans (95% CI: 2.2-6.0). The NNPs at TPRs of 50%, 25%, 10%, and 5% were 2.2, 3.6, 8.0, 15.5 scans, respectively. In Wuhan, 35418 (TPR, 58%; 95% CI: 27710-56755) to 44840 (TPR, 38%; 95% CI: 35161-68164) individuals were estimated to have undergone CT examinations to diagnose 17365 patients. During the early surge in New York and Italy, daily NNDs changed up to 5.4 and 10.9 times, respectively, within 10 weeks. Conclusion Low-dose CT protocols were described in less than half of COVID-19 publications, and radiation doses were frequently lacking. The number of populations involved in a first-line diagnostic CT test could vary dynamically according to daily TPR; therefore, caution is required in future planning.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.298-307
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• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of implementing the consensus statement from the Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging-Practical Tutorial 2020 (ASCI-PT 2020) on the reliability of cardiac MR with late gadolinium enhancement (CMR-LGE) myocardial viability scoring between observers in the context of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Materials and Methods: A total of 17 cardiovascular imaging experts from five different countries evaluated CMR obtained in 26 patients (male:female, 23:3; median age [interquartile range], 55.5 years [50-61.8]) with ischemic cardiomyopathy. For LGE scoring, based on the 17 segments, the extent of LGE in each segment was graded using a five-point scoring system ranging from 0 to 4 before and after exposure according to the consensus statement. All scoring was performed via web-based review. Scores for slices, vascular territories, and total scores were obtained as the sum of the relevant segmental scores. Interobserver reliability for segment scores was assessed using Fleiss' kappa, while the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used for slice score, vascular territory score, and total score. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using the limits of agreement from the mean (LoA). Results: Interobserver reliability (Fleiss' kappa) in each segment ranged 0.242-0.662 before the consensus and increased to 0.301-0.774 after the consensus. The interobserver reliability (ICC) for each slice, each vascular territory, and total score increased after the consensus (slice, 0.728-0.805 and 0.849-0.884; vascular territory, 0.756-0.902 and 0.852-0.941; total score, 0.847 and 0.913, before and after implementing the consensus statement, respectively. Interobserver agreement in scoring also improved with the implementation of the consensus for all slices, vascular territories, and total score. The LoA for the total score narrowed from ± 10.36 points to ± 7.12 points. Conclusion: The interobserver reliability and agreement for CMR-LGE scoring for ischemic cardiomyopathy improved when following guidance from the ASCI-PT 2020 consensus statement.

• Trans-
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• v.16
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• pp.1-31
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• 2024

The advent of digital media has facilitated easy access for adolescents to environments conducive to the purchase of narcotics. In particular, there's an increasing trend in the purchase and consumption of narcotics mediated through Social Network Services (SNS) and messenger services. Adolescents, sensitive to such environments, are at risk of experiencing neurological and mental health issues due to narcotic addiction, increasing their exposure to criminal activities, hence necessitating national-level management and support. Consequently, the quest for sustainable treatment methods for adolescents exposed to narcotics emerges as a critical challenge. In the context of high relapse rates in narcotic addiction, the necessity for cost-effective and user-friendly treatment programs is emphasized. This study conducts a literature review aimed at utilizing digital platforms to create an environment where adolescents can voluntarily participate, focusing on the development of therapeutic content through art. Specifically, it reviews societal perceptions and treatment statuses of adolescent drug addiction, analyzes the impact of narcotic addiction on adolescent brain activity and cognitive function degradation, and explores approaches for developing digital therapeutics to promote the rehabilitation of the addicted brain through analysis of precedential case studies. Moreover, the study investigates the benefits that the integration of digital therapeutic approaches and art therapy can provide in the treatment process and proposes the possibility of enhancing therapeutic effects through various treatment programs such as drama therapy, music therapy, and art therapy. The application of art therapy methods is anticipated to offer positive effects in terms of tool expansion, diversification of expression, data acquisition, and motivation. Through such approaches, an enhancement in the effectiveness of treatments for adolescent narcotic addiction is anticipated. Overall, this study undertakes foundational research for the development of digital therapeutics and related applications, offering economically viable and sustainable treatment options in consideration of the societal context of adolescent narcotic addiction.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.250-259
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated in pesticide residues and heavy metals in fermented liquor products (wine, beer, makgeolli). Targeted analysis of 400 pesticide residues in the sample was performed using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method, followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and LC-MS/MS. The contents of heavy metals (Pb, Cd) were determined by ICP-MS using the microwave method. The mercury was measured using a mercury analyzer. From the analysis of 150 cases, 102 (68.0%) cases of fermented liquor were detected, and 35 pesticide residues (including metalaxyl, mandipropamid, azoxystrobin, and fenhexamid) were detected among the 400 pesticide residues tested. Pb, Cd, and Hg were tested in 150 samples. Lead was detected in 73 samples (48.7%), cadmium in 9 samples (6.0%), and mercury in 36 samples (24.0%). Exposure assessment was conducted to determine the safety of the detected pesticide residues and heavy metals. According to this assessment, the pesticide residues and heavy metals showed very low %ADI values (less than 1%).

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.482-492
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• 2024

This study aims to investigate how elementary school students understand the process of sedimentary rock formation based on their perception of geological time concepts. The research was conducted with 57 fourth-grade students from U Elementary School in B Metropolitan City. Data were collected using a modified and adapted version of the LIFT (The Landscape Identification and Formation Test) assessment tool developed by Jolley et al. (2012) and structured essay questions based on the interview framework used by Charles and McConnell (2018) on geological landscape formation. The qualitative analysis of the essay responses classified the students into three groups based on their expression of geological time concepts: the "Specific Time Concept" group, the "Vague Time Concept" group, and the "No Time Concept" group. Statistical verification was performed using the scores from short-answer questions about the sedimentary rock formation process. It was found that the "Specific Time Concept" group had a statistically significantly higher understanding of the sedimentary rock formation process compared to the "No Time Concept" group (p= .04). Additionally, instances of underestimation and overestimation of geological ages, as mentioned by Ault (1982), were observed in the specific cases. Furthermore, language networks were formed and centrality analyses were conducted based on the descriptive responses collected from each group. The analysis results showed that the "Specific Time Concept" group had a relatively good understanding of all processes involved in sedimentary rock formation, with geological time concepts well connected to the phenomena. The "Vague Time Concept" group did not have a well-connected understanding of the processes of deposition, compaction, cementation, lithification, and exposure but had a relatively good understanding of geological time concepts. The "No Time Concept" group explained the sedimentary rock formation process mainly focusing on deposition, compaction, and cementation, and had almost no understanding of geological time concepts. Additionally, community analysis using the centrality of time nodes showed that the "No Time Concept" group had difficulty associating the sedimentary rock formation process with the concept of time. Based on these conclusions, suggestions were made to provide insights into geological time.