• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2021

Background: Chromogranin A (CgA) levels have been reported to predict mortality in patients with heart failure. However, information on the prognostic value and clinical availability of CgA is limited. We compared the prognostic value of CgA to that of previously proven natriuretic peptide biomarkers in patients with acute heart failure. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 272 patients (mean age, 68.5±15.6 years; 62.9% male) who underwent CgA test in the acute stage of heart failure hospitalization between June 2017 and June 2018. The median follow-up period was 348 days. Prognosis was assessed using the composite events of 1-year death and heart failure hospitalization. Results: In-hospital mortality rate during index admission was 7.0% (n=19). During the 1-year follow-up, a composite event rate was observed in 12.1% (n=33) of the patients. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for predicting 1-year adverse events were 0.737 and 0.697 for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and CgA, respectively. During follow-up, patients with high CgA levels (>158 pmol/L) had worse outcomes than those with low CgA levels (≤158 pmol/L) (85.2% vs. 58.6%, p<0.001). When stratifying the patients into four subgroups based on CgA and NT-proBNP levels, patients with high NT-proBNP and high CgA had the worst outcome. CgA had an incremental prognostic value when added to the combination of NT-proBNP and clinically relevant risk factors. Conclusion: The prognostic power of CgA was comparable to that of NT-proBNP in patients with acute heart failure. The combination of CgA and NT-proBNP can improve prognosis prediction in these patients.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.343-355
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• 2021

Agricultural reservoirs seek human convenience by supplying agricultural water and providing flood damage effects and rest areas at the same time, but preventing them from aging reservoirs and earthquakes is important. The safety of levees is influenced by field material properties such as soil parameter values of the granular materials that make up the levees, but since precision safety diagnosis or general literature values are diverted, the final safety factors are limited to material properties alone. Since safety factors are determined by physical characteristic values and embankment shapes and have a significant impact on safety factors, accurate contemplation is required when examining reinforced cross sections. Therefore, this study analyzed the case of reasonable and economical reinforcement intersections when designing '◯◯reservoir' in Goheung-geun, Jeollanam-do using the GEP-SLOPE program to enable rational economic design of reinforcement intersections through repeated reviews. As a result of reducing and analyzing the first, second, and third seismic reinforcement of the levees, it was confirmed that the safety ratio was secured even with a significantly smaller amount of reinforcement than the first, second, and lower slopes by obtaining design standards of 1.20. In addition, when determining all seismic reinforcement cross-sectional shapes, it was confirmed that the shape that reinforces only the lower side rather than the upper side of the slope and the entire slope was economical with minimized cross-sectional reinforcement.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.591-602
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• 2018

Clithon retropictus has been designated as an endangered wildlife Class II due to its high value as a biological indicator species capable of judging environmental quality such as salinity, water flow, and ground conditions. However, basic research on its physiological and ecological characteristics is still lacking. As such, this study intended to examine the impact of environmental conditions such as salinity and soil particle size on the size and density of Clithon retropictus at the Yeoncho river estuary. The investigation of the salinity, which is a key variable that affects the distribution of organisms in the estuary, showed that Clithon retropictus could grow at a salinity ranging from 0#x2030; (freshwater) to 25‰ (brackish water). The coarse gravel (19-75mm) tended to increase nearer the upper stream (under the Yeoncho weir), while the proportion of particles smaller than sand (less than 19mm) increased toward the downstream. The population and the size of the individuals decreased rapidly in the downstream where water stagnated near the Yeoncho weir, and the salt water joined. The results indicated that Clithon retropictus had a high tolerance to salinity, but the adaptability was weaker toward the extremes since the population, and the size tended to decrease as the salinity increased. The correlation analysis revealed that both salinity and soil particle size affected the population and individual size. The correlation between the individual size and salinity was -0.242 (P <0.01), indicating that the size decreased with increasing salinity. The correlation between individual size and coarse gravel having a particle size of 19mm or more was 0.420 (P <0.01), indicating that the size increased with increasing the particle size.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of combinations of tofu paste and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on the oil uptake reduction (OTR) of deep-fat fried cake doughnuts. OTR agents were tofu paste (from grinding tofu with deionized water, followed by passage through a 60 mesh sieve), and five neutral and nine anionic NSPs. A control doughnut (without tofu paste or NSP), tofu doughnut (with tofu paste) and NSP-tofu doughnut (with tofu paste and NSP) were prepared. The moisture and total lipid (TL) content, cross-section image, color characteristic, and specific volume were measured. The tofu and NSP-tofu doughnuts exhibited higher moisture and lower TL content than the control. OTR was 10.8% for the tofu doughnut, and between 13.2% and 41.2% for the NSP-tofu doughnut. The highest OTR (41.2%) was found in the NSP-tofu doughnut with a combination of tofu paste and sodium alginate (NaA). The specific volume of the NSP-tofu doughnuts with combinations of tofu paste with NaA (2.5 mL/g), locust bean gum (2.5 mL/g), and ${\kappa}$-carrageenan (2.4 mL/g) was very close to that of the control (2.6 mL/g). Considering the OTR and specific volume of doughnuts, the combination of tofu paste and NaA would be most effective in reducing the oil uptake of doughnuts during deep-fat frying.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.655-667
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• 2019

This research aims to identify the possibility of developing A horizon resources that can be used for construction and civil engineering work. As such, the utility of A horizon resources was examined by establishing planting ground through a mixture of soil layers and by analyzing the growth and development of Pinus densiflora. The physicochemical and physical properties of the soil were as follows: the A horizon was sandy clay loam, B horizon was sandy loam, and the mixture of two layers appeared as sandy loam, which was identical to the B horizon. The experimental groups did not show any significant difference in their physical properties of porosity and degree of water-stable aggregates. With regards to chemical properties, the A horizon as well as the mixture of A and B horizon showed acidity while the B horizon showed alkalinity. The figures of organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphate, and replaceable potassium were greater as the A horizon content increased, whereas the figures of replaceable calcium, replaceable magnesium, and conductivity increased as the A horizon content decreased. As a result of the growth and development of Pinus densiflora in each planting ground, the final survival rates were all above 100%. However, the tree height and the rate of growth for the diameter of root were higher in the order of A horizon > A horizon + B horizon > B horizon,indicating that the increased A horizon content is related to the growth and development of Pinus densiflora. The treatment of soil with improvement agents, used to recover the functions of in-situ soil showing poor growth and development, did not have a clear impact on the soil texture and porosity. However, the degree of water-stable aggregates increased significantly when using O horizon as the soil improvement agent among the types of in-situ soil. In contrast, all items related to the chemical properties showed significant differences following the treatment by soil improvement agents. The survival rate according to the treatment of soil improvement agents for the growth and development of Pinus densiflora was higher in the order of organic horizon = no treatment > compound fertilizer > organic fertilizer + compound fertilizer > organic fertilizer; this result was statistically significant with a marginal significance value of the log-rank test(p < 0.05).

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.857-866
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• 2020

'Movement' is an expanded concept of 'place' where people act, interact with one another and achieve a specific purpose at every moment. Wheelchairs, as a mobility aid, have a profound impact on improving the quality of physical and psychological well-being for the mobility disadvantaged groups who have mobility difficulties. Such mobility aids were developed mainly for outdoor activities, but in recent years, mobility aids for indoor spaces, the main living environment, are also being developed. Because indoor mobility aids generally move short distances repeatedly, this study examined the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries in short-distance driving of battery-powered wheelchairs and compared them with the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries in continuous driving. The result showed that the driving time for short-distance driving was 2.8% shorter than that of continuous driving. The current supplied to the motor was 15.4% higher for short-distance driving than that of continuous driving.

• Korean small business review
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.107-133
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• 2020

Many researchers conducted studies on the relationship between entrepreneur's characteristic, capability, strategy and performance of new venture. However, the development of scientific technique and the complexity of the business environment have stimulated entrepreneurial teams rather than individuals. Therefore, the necessity of theoretical and practical study on the effect of the characteristics of an entrepreneurial team on the new venture companies was suggested. Initial research on entrepreneurial team diversity has primarily addressed the impact of demographic diversity on performance. In order to verify the research model of this study, 287 delegates of new venture companies that participated in the projects at the 18 Centers for Creative Economy & Innovation in 17 regions of the country conducted validity and reliability test based on the questionnaire to which they answered. The result shows that only gender diversity among demographic diversity affected non-financial performance. Information diversity influenced career diversity on financial performance and diversity in education on non-financial performance. Also, the higher the previous sharing experience, the better the financial performance. Value diversity has negative effect on both financial and non-financial performance. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications are derived. Also suggested are methodological limitations and future research directions.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.3-17
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• 2022

This study aims to empirically analyze the impacts of the topographic characteristics of residential areas and the characteristics of land use and transportation on average trip distance of the senior citizens in Busan Metropolitan city. Multiple regression is conducted to accomplish the purpose of this study, and the conclusions and policy implications of the analysis are as follows. First, the average and standard deviation of the residential areas are significantly related to average trip distance of the senior citizens. Thus, urban transportation policies need to take account of the topographic characteristics of the residential areas. Second, average distance from the nearest subway station and density of bus stops have positive and negative association respectively. Mobility improvement polices for senior citizens should consider urban spatial structure and different approach processes to transportation facilities by modes. Third, mobility and residential environment improvement policies for senior citizens should take into account different sociodemographic characteristics by locations. This shows that the mobility convenience policy for senior citizens is more necessary than any other policy for administrative dong, where traffic access is relatively low and the single senior citizen population is concentrated.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.137-148
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• 2022

Recently, in the concrete industry, the development and commercialization of low-carbon products of ready-mixed concrete have emerged as part of the efforts to realize carbon neutrality. This study aims to investigate the current status of environmental product declaration(EPD) of ready-mixed concrete and to analyze the characteristics of carbon emissions by compressive strength, life cycle stage, and region. To this end, the related certification system requiring the calculation of carbon emissions in the concrete industry was analyzed. The target of analyzing the current status of carbon emissions was set as a product of ready-mixed concrete that acquired EPD certification based on the life cycle assessment method. In addition, the trend of carbon emissions according to each characteristic was reviewed by analyzing carbon emissions by the life cycle of ready-mixed concrete products, analyzing carbon emissions by standard, and analyzing carbon emissions by region. As a result, the carbon emissions in the pre-production stage were 99% compared to total carbon emissions., and as it increased from 18MPa to 40MPa, carbon emissions also increased. Even with the same specifications, the carbon emissions in the capital region were higher than in the southern region.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.28-34
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• 2022

This study analyzes the impact that accidents and near misses have on clients' and contractors' awareness of safety culture. Due to the unique characteristic of employment structure in Korea, the occurrence of accidents differs by company size, which has relevant implications for the establishment of safety culture. Attention has been drawn to the importance of the management of accidents and near misses, with safety awareness acting as a core factor. A positive effect on the prevention of accidents could be achieved by noting the difference in safety awareness between clients and contractors and suggesting an associated suitable safety management system. In support of this study, a survey was distributed to workers in the automobile manufacturing industry (May-August 2020), and data from a total of 574 workers was collected and analyzed, including 399 clients' worksers and 175 contractors' workers. The questionnaire addressed participants' experiences of accidents and near misses as well as 50 items from the Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire. Analysis of the responses was conducted using the methods of frequency analysis, Fisher's exact test, t-test, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The results demonstrated that clients had more experiences with accidents and near misses compared to contractors. Additional differences between clients and contractors were noted in terms of the safety culture factors of learning, communication, and trust. A correlation was observed between the experience of accidents and safety justice management: for clients and contractors who experienced accidents, safety justice management was 9.4 times higher. Furthermore, clients' and contractors' awareness of employees' commitment to safety was determined to be 28.5 times higher in those who had experienced near misses This study concludes that, in order to improve accident prevention through the management of accidents and near misses, clients must focus on overseeing safety justice management and aspects of safety culture factors, while contractors must focus efforts on managing employees' commitment to safety. In further applications, this study could provide baseline data for health and safety activities in terms of the safety culture of clients and contractors. Further study on the establishment of safety culture as related to employment structure is proposed for future research.