• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.501-509
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• 2012

A 990 bp full-length gene (xynAHJ2) encoding a 329-residue polypeptide (XynAHJ2) with a calculated mass of 38.4 kDa was cloned from Bacillus sp. HJ2 harbored in a saline soil. XynAHJ2 showed no signal peptide, distinct amino acid stretches of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 10 intracellular endoxylanases, and the highest amino acid sequence identity of 65.3% with the identified GH 10 intracellular mesophilic endoxylanase iM-KRICT PX1-Ps from Paenibacillus sp. HPL-001 (ACJ06666). The recombinant enzyme (rXynAHJ2) was expressed in Escherichia coli and displayed the typical characteristics of low-temperature-active enzyme (exhibiting optimum activity at $35^{\circ}C$, 62% at $20^{\circ}C$, and 38% at $10^{\circ}C$; thermolability at ${\geq}45^{\circ}C$). Compared with the reported GH 10 low-temperature-active endoxylanases, which are all extracellular, rXynAHJ2 showed low amino acid sequence identities (<45%), low homology (different phylogenetic cluster), and difference of structure (decreased amount of total accessible surface area and exposed nonpolar accessible surface area). Compared with the reported GH 10 intracellular endoxylanases, which are all mesophilic and thermophilic, rXynAHJ2 has decreased numbers of arginine residues and salt bridges, and showed resistance to $Ni^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, or EDTA at 10 mM final concentration. The above mechanism of structural adaptation for low-temperature activity of intracellular endoxylanase rXynAHJ2 is different from that of GH 10 extracellular low-temperature-active endoxylanases. This is the first report of the molecular and biochemical characterizations of a novel intracellular low-temperature-active xylanase.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.513-538
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• 2013

As a childcare program of TaeHwa Christian Women's Institution in 1921, the childcare system in Korea was incepted. Since then, the political foothold of childcare system has steadily been advancing to provide high quality services to young children. In almost a hundred-year-history of public childcare in Korea, depending on the changes enforced on the related laws and regulations and varying perspectives over time, the administration office accountable for childcare policies has been authorized to the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs, Education, Labor, Home Affairs, Rural Development Administration, and/or others. But as of 1991, under the enactment of Infant and Child Care Act, it was changed to be administered by the unified authority of the Health and Social Welfare Ministry. Then, in 2004 and 2007, its statutory authority, respectively, transferred to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and back to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Staring of the Infant and Child Care Act in 1991, Korean childcare policies have been managed by the dual systems of the Education Ministry and the Health and Social Welfare Ministry each holding jurisdiction over kindergartens and childcare centers, respectively. Faced with the recent marked decline of birth rate, diverse childcare policies are currently implemented in the pursuit of finding means to enhance the quality of childcare and to develop policies for the restoration of the low birth rate. This study presented distinct features of current childcare policies and discussed about future directions and challenges of these policies.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.57
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• pp.27-55
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• 2018

The problem is that even though the cost of apartment buildings and general expenses are the same and similar tasks, there is a significant gap between them in quantity and quality. The apartment security guard needs more professional management in education and various reporting obligations. In particular, the reality of being away from the management and supervision of the National Police Agency, which is in charge of crime prevention and policing resources throughout the nation, is a task that needs to be improved quickly. Although the "security service" is a specialized area for protecting the lives and property of the people, it is managed and operated only in the category of apartment management, just because it is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This should be integrated into one cost-related law, such as the "Cost Business Act," for management and operation. Although the regulations concerning security guards under the "Joint Housing Management Act" are very limited, they should start discussing the integrated management of apartment security guards and general security guards in view of improvement of their treatment. The most realistic method would be to hire a new general security officer with a security law as a security guard in an apartment building.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.169-176
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• 2020

Exploring the risk factors of adolescent suicide is important for effective suicide prevention. This study explored the clustering of adolescent suicides based on six risk factors: mental disorder, broken family, depression, anxiety, previous suicide attempts, and deviant behaviors. Using 173 student suicide reports obtained from the Ministry of Education, we evaluated the associations between suicide and variables related to mental disorders; dysfunctional family life; depression and anxiety; previous suicide attempts; deviant behaviors such as drinking and smoking; and school life characteristics, including attendance and discipline, problems within the past year, and incidents prior to suicide. In addition, reports of warning signs just before suicide were included in the analysis. The two-stage cluster analysis classified the students into three clusters: the silent type (cluster 1; 48.55%), in which no risk factors were observed; environmental-risk type (cluster 2: 24.28%), which featured a high frequency of broken households, deviant behaviors such as smoking/drinking and running away from home; and depressive type (cluster 3: 27.17%), which featured a high frequency of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. Identifying the sub-types of adolescent suicide may help to inform tailored suicide prevention and intervention strategies in school.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.465-475
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• 2016

This study was conducted to provide basic data regarding the safety of Hwaseong for women. Data regarding sexual violence awareness and damages were collected from 514 women aged 20 to 65 living in Hwaseong. The results were then compared with national survey data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2010 and 2013. Hwaseong is a wide city composed of an urban and urban-rural complex. Data were analyzed to identify regional differences between urban and urban-rural complexes and educational differences between below college graduates and above university graduates. The ratios of awareness of sexual violence behavior, laws, and services were somewhat lower than the 2013 national research ratios. Second, women in the urban-rural complex showed a higher awareness of sexual violence behaviors and higher level of sexual violence myths. Third, the tendencies of sexual violence damages were similar to the 2013 national research. Fourth, women with higher education showed a higher level of sexual violence myths and a higher ratio of sexual violence damage.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.77-88
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• 2017

Objectives : To examine the factors associated with the use of the prenatal care services provided by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family by married migrant women in Korea. Methods : We employed data from the 2015 Nationwide Multiculturale Family Survey. We selected 19- to 39-year-old married immigrant women with children aged 5 years or less for the study (N=1,579). We included four predisposing factors, six enabling factors, and two need factors based on the Andersen's Health-care Utilization Model. Results : Only one third of married immigrant women(31.6%) used prenatal care service and 45.9% of them reported prenatal care service needs. Area of residence, country of birth, and Korean language proficiency were significantly associated with prenatal care service use. Further, age, country of birth, length of time in Korea, household income, and discrimination experience were significantly associated. Conclusions : Findings suggest the need to develop strategies to improve accessibility to prenatal care service use especially for married immigrant women from developing countries, low-income families, having poor Korean language proficiency or having discrimination experience.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.141-157
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper is to examine levels of financial knowledge, to identify the financial education needs of college students, and to show how financial knowledge and education needs correlate. The results of this study indicated that the level of understanding of economy was the highest among the seven categories, whereas the overall level of financial knowledge was less than 50%. The need for financial education was relatively high in various topics of financial management, especially financial planning and savings. There was no significant relationship between knowledge level and educational needs except between financial planning and investment. Students who understand financial planning better want more financial education. College students in this study were not financially independent from their parents, receiving allowance and assistance in tuition payment, so their financial experiences were limited. Students who understood financial management showed greater need of financial education and had more financial experience. The findings in this study suggested that college should provide formal financial education as an elective course, which should include content related to financial planning and various financial products.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.329-344
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to identify utilization of the work-family support policy (WFSP) and factors affecting retention intention among Korean female military officers. Methods: This cross-sectional survey recruited 103 married female officers from the Korean Army, Navy, and Air force with preschool-aged children through convenience and snowball sampling. Via online surveys from June to November, 2018, the participants self-reported retention intention, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, and utilization of the WFSP. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. Results: Retention intention ($22.29{\pm}5.98$) was reported at the mid-level, lower than scores reported in the literature for female workers. Work-family conflict ($32.51{\pm}5.29$) and job satisfaction ($63.10{\pm}7.45$) were above the midpoint levels. Use of maternity leave (100.0%) and parental leave (92.2%) was high, especially compared to the rates of child-care day off (20.4%) and parenting time (20.4%). 'Noticeable increases in childcare services within the army' (22.8%) was reported as the supportive measure needed the most by female military officers. Job satisfaction (${\beta}=.43$, $p{\leq}.001$), the use of parenting time (${\beta}=-0.29$, p=.002), living type (${\beta}=-.18$, p=.043), and service type (${\beta}=-.16$, p=.035) significantly influenced retention intention. Conclusions: The findings highlight the priority areas of importance within the WFSP and suggest that a family-friendly culture can improve female officers' retention intention. Accordingly, policy changes at the Ministry of National Defense improving the system to enhance a family-friendly culture in the military is expected to strengthen the retention intention of female officers and contribute to excellence in the military workforce.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.149-154
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• 2013

Liver enzyme elevations, as an indicator of liver function, are widely associated with metabolic diseases. Genome-wide population-based association studies have identified a genetic susceptibility to liver enzyme elevations and their related traits; however, the genetic architecture in childhood remains largely unknown. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify new genetic loci for liver enzyme levels in a Korean childhood cohort (n = 484). We observed three novel loci (rs4949718, rs80311637, and rs596406) that were multiply associated with elevated levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase. Although there are some limitations, including genetic power, additional replication and functional characterization will support the clarity on the genetic contribution that the ST6GALNAC3, ADAMTS9, and CELF2 genes have in childhood liver function.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-91
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• 2014

This study aims to examine the patterns of middle-aged parents' intergenerational support exchange with their adult children and its effects on the happiness of the parents. The sample consisted of 765 middle-aged parents selected from the National Survey of Korean Families by the Ministry of Equality and Family in 2010. The results were as follows. First, intergenerational support exchange between parents and their adult children was categorized into four groups depending on the provider of support: parents who exchanged no support with their children, parents who only received support from their children, parents who only provided support to their children, and parents who exchanged support with their children. Second, parents who exchanged no support with their children were high in instrumental support and those who both provided and received support were high in emotional support. Third, consciousness of their children significantly affected the satisfaction level of their relationship with their children. The more the parents emphasize on the growth of their children, the more they were satisfied. Parents in the support exchange group were more satisfied when they received economic support from their children. With regard to instrumental and emotional support, parents were more satisfied when they provided support to or mutually exchanged support with their children. Forth, subjective health conditions, consciousness of their children, and household's income more significantly affected the happiness of middle-aged parents than the patterns of intergenerational support exchange. With regard to economic support, parents who only received support from their children were less happy than the other groups. With regard to instrumental support, parents who exchanged no support with their children were happier than the other groups. With regard to emotional support, parents who provided support to their children were happier than the other groups.