• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1145-1161
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• 2010

The objectives of this study were to examine how social networks of old retirees impact on their retirement satisfaction, and through this, to suggest ways of improving their retirement satisfaction. Data used in this study were from 2006 KLoSA(Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing), which were collected from 1,009 elderly people aged 65 and over who resided metropolis and smaller medium cities and answered regarding their retirement satisfaction. Data were analyzed by Binary Logistic Regression method. As a result, the frequency of contact with children, the number of participation in their social activities, and the satisfaction of relationship with children were the significant variables to predict retirement satisfaction. In addition, other variables such as gender, subjective health status, type of retirement, and duration of past retirement have been found as significant variables to explain retirement satisfaction. Implications for designing effective retirement plan and service systems have been discussed.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.121-132
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• 2023

Marine heatwaves (MHWs), referring to anomalously high sea surface temperatures, have drawn significant attention from marine scientists due to their broad impacts on the surface marine ecosystem, fisheries, weather patterns, and various human activities. In this study, we examined the impact of the distribution of Changjiang diluted water (CDW), a significant factor causing oceanic property changes in the East China Sea (ECS) during the summer, on MHWs. The surface salinity distribution in the ECS indicates that from June to August, the eastern extension of the CDW influences areas as far as Jeju Island and the Korea Strait. In September, however, the CDW tends to reside in the Changjiang estuary. Through the Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the cumulative intensity of MHWs during the summer, we extracted the loading vector of the first mode and its principal component time series to conduct a correlation analysis with the distribution of the CDW. The results revealed a strong negative spatial correlation between areas of the CDW and regions with high cumulative intensity of MHWs, indicating that the reinforcement of stratification due to low-salinity water can increase the intensity and duration of MHWs. This study suggests that the CDW may still influence the spatial distribution of MHWs in the region, highlighting the importance of oceanic environmental factors in the occurrence of MHWs in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.447-455
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• 2023

COVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease that is hard to predict in terms of fatality rate, treatments, and the timing of its end. World is developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Several treatments and vaccines currently have emergency use authorization, but the treatments are only allowed for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the confirmed cases of COVID-19, including mortality and testing, in OECD countries and to assess the effect of vaccination on mortality. Looking at the confirmed cases, mortality, and vaccination rates of COVID-19, the number of confirmed cases was lower than previously reported cases after full vaccination. In early 2022, with Omicron, the confirmed cases increased sharply, while mortality dropped, and the mortality showed a gentle curve as the cumulative fully vaccinated exceeded 50%. This indicates that COVID-19 vaccines have an effect on reducing mortality. However, the duration of effectiveness of vaccines was considerably short, which decreased the initial inoculation effect and increased the monthly mortality. As this study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was not enough data to analyze comprehensively. However, it is meaningful to compare and analyze the impact of COVID-19 by country.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

Previous studies on zooplankton in Asan Bay were mostly based on samples collected seasonally with three months intervals. Present study was aimed to know the temporal variation of meso-zooplankton distribution using the data collected monthly. Relationships between zooplankton abundances and environmental factors such as seawater temperatures, salinities and chlorophyll-a contents were also studied. Seawater temperature showed typical pattern of seasonal variation found in temperate waters. The fluctuations of environmental factors ranged relatively wider In the inner part of the bay than those in outer part of the bay. Salinity was very low right after the summer rainy period due to the sporadic outflow of freshwater from the adjacent artificial lakes. Sudden changes in salinity seemed to have significant impact on zooplankton assemblages. Chlorophyll-a contents were increased in general when compared with previous reports probably due to the recent human exploitations in the coastal zone, which might enhance the nutrients level . The timing and duration of spring bloom showed geographical differences. In the inner part of the bay it began earlier (February) and last longer (three months) while in the outer part of the bay it began late (April) and last just one month. Zooplankton abundance, especially most abundant taxon Acartia hongi, showed weak but significant positive correlation with chlorophyll-a contents. The difference in temporal variation found with two different sampling intervals indicated the necessity of shorter time interval samplings.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.115-132
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of music therapy on enhancing self-awareness and intrinsic motivation among patients with schizophrenia, particularly those experiencing motivational deficits. This study, primarily based on quantitative analyses supplemented by qualitative insights, included six adults (three males and three females) across 8 weekly sessions proactive music activities based on the exploration of musical emotion, each lasting 60 minutes, from October 5 to November 16, 2023. Data collection and analysis focused on the last five sessions, from the fourth to the eighth. Although no statistically significant changes were detected, likely due to the study's short duration, qualitative data from in-depth interviews indicate that music therapy contributed to enhanced motivation and improved self-perception in participants. They demonstrated better emotional articulation, self-awareness, and communication skills, which not only increased their intrinsic motivation but also led to an improved perception of their life quality. Individual variability was noted, however, indicating that these outcomes could differ among participants. These results highlight music therapy's potential as a valuable intervention for enhancing self-awareness and reigniting motivation in individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting a further research to corroborate these findings over longer periods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.547-561
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• 2024

In this study, we aim to investigate the precise alterations in the gut microbiota during the onset and advancement of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and examine the impact of Ruminococcus gnavus (R. gnavus) on DN. Eight-week-old male KK-Ay mice were administered antibiotic cocktails for a duration of two weeks, followed by oral administration of R. gnavus for an additional eight weeks. Our study revealed significant changes in the gut microbiota during both the initiation and progression of DN. Specifically, we observed a notable increase in the abundance of Clostridia at the class level, higher levels of Lachnospirales and Oscillospirales at the order level, and a marked decrease in Clostridia_UCG-014 in DN group. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Oscillospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae at the family level. Moreover, oral administration of R. gnavus effectively aggravated kidney pathology in DN mice, accompanied by elevated levels of urea nitrogen (UN), creatinine (Cr), and urine protein. Furthermore, R. gnavus administration resulted in down-regulation of tight junction proteins such as Claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1, as well as increased levels of uremic toxins in urine and serum samples. Additionally, our study demonstrated that orally administered R. gnavus up-regulated the expression of inflammatory factors, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) and Interleukin (IL)-6. These changes indicated the involvement of the gut-kidney axis in DN, and R. gnavus may worsen diabetic nephropathy by affecting uremic toxin levels and promoting inflammation in DN.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.325-335
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: The number of sensitized heart failure patients on waiting lists for heart transplantation (HTx) is increasing. Using the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY), a nationwide multicenter database, we investigated the prevalence and clinical impact of calculated panel-reactive antibody (cPRA) in patients undergoing HTx. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 813 patients who underwent HTx between 2014 and 2021. Patients were grouped according to peak PRA level as group A: patients with cPRA ≤10% (n= 492); group B: patients with cPRA >10%, <50% (n=160); group C patients with cPRA ≥50% (n=161). Post-HTx outcomes were freedom from antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), acute cellular rejection, coronary allograft vasculopathy, and all-cause mortality. Results: The median follow-up duration was 44 (19-72) months. Female sex, re-transplantation, and pre-HTx renal replacement therapy were independently associated with an increased risk of sensitization (cPRA ≥50%). Group C patients were more likely to have longer hospital stays and to use anti-thymocyte globulin as an induction agent compared to groups A and B. Significantly more patients in group C had positive flow cytometric crossmatch and had a higher incidence of preformed donor-specific antibody (DSA) compared to groups A and B. During follow-up, group C had a significantly higher rate of AMR, but the overall survival rate was comparable to that of groups A and B. In a subgroup analysis of group C, post-transplant survival was comparable despite higher preformed DSA in a desensitized group compared to the non-desensitized group. Conclusions: Patients with cPRA ≥50% had significantly higher incidence of preformed DSA and lower freedom from AMR, but post-HTx survival rates were similar to those with cPRA <50%. Our findings suggest that sensitized patients can attain comparable post-transplant survival to non-sensitized patients when treated with optimal desensitization treatment and therapeutic intervention.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.69 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 2024

After the strongest El Niño since 2015 occurred in 2023, there has been a growing interest in understanding its impacts on rice yield in South Korea. We investigated the impact of El Niño during the rice-growing season on rice yield by analyzing the correlation between detrended rice yield data and ONI (Oceanic Niño Index) values exceeding 0.5. The results show a positive correlation between ONI intensities and detrended rice yields. Furthermore, we found that variations in sunshine duration, precipitation, and typhoon activity affect detrended yield values positively and negatively. This pattern was similar to the classification of El Niño into Cold Tongue El Niño and non-Cold Tongue El Niño, which showed positive and negative detrended rice yield values, respectively. This observation suggests that predicting yield based on ONI intensity during Cold Tongue El Niño years may be feasible to some extent.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2024

Current cold chain logistics relying on organic or eutectic materials within the 2~8℃ range as secondary fluids often face limitations in heat storage capacity, necessitating high energy consumption and large volume capacity. An effective approach to address this challenge is by incorporating polymers to enhance the heat storage capacity of eutectic materials. In this study, we investigated the impact of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) on phase change materials using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), analyses of endothermic and exothermic phase change processes, and an accelerated thermal cycling test. Our findings indicate that the introduction of PEGs into the phase change materials can lead to improvements in latent heat, thermal conductivity, and 2~8℃ retention time. This enhancement is attributed to the high latent heat and thermal conductivity of the polymer, along with its ability to inhibit crystal formation in the eutectic mixture.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2024

A proper level of UV-A light treatment in terms of intensity, spectrum, and exposure duration is known to have a positive impact on plant growth, photosynthesis, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. However, there are few studies investigating the physiological responses of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) to UV radiation. Hence, this study aimed to assess the effects of short-term UV-A radiation on the growth and bioactive compounds of spinach. Spinach seedlings were cultivated in a vertical farm module under the following environmental conditions: photosynthetic photon flux density 200 µmol·m^-2·s^-1, white LED, 12 h on/off, 20℃ air temperature, 70% relative humidity, and 500 µmol·mol^-1 CO₂ concentration. After 5 weeks of sowing, the seedlings were subjected to continuous UV-A (peak wavelength; 385 nm) irradiation at two different energy levels: 20 W·m^-2 and 40 W·m^-2 for 7 days. As a result, the UV-A_20W treatment increased the shoot fresh and dry weights of spinach. However, there were no significant differences observed in photosynthetic parameters between the UV-A treatments and the control. The maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) consistently decreased across all UV-A treatments for 7 days in UV-A treatments. Additionally, the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity increased in the UV-A_20W treatment at 7 days of treatment as well as the total flavonoid content significantly increased at 5 and 7 days of treatment. These findings suggest that supplemental UV-A LED radiation can enhance the growth and quality of spinach cultivated in closed type plant production systems such as vertical farms.