• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.100-113
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• 2019

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease characterized by noncaseating granulomas. Cardiac involvement is known to have poor prognosis because it can manifest as a serious condition such as the conduction abnormality, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, or sudden cardiac death. Although early diagnosis and early treatment is critical to improve patient prognosis, the diagnosis of CS is challenging in most cases. Diagnosis usually relies on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), but its diagnostic yield is low due to the incidence of patchy myocardial involvement. Guidelines for the diagnosis of CS recommend a combination of clinical, electrocardiographic, and imaging findings from various modalities, if EMB cannot confirm the diagnosis. Especially, the role of advanced imaging such as cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and positron emission tomography (PET), has shown to be important not only for the diagnosis, but also for monitoring treatment response and prognostication. CMR can evaluate cardiac function and fibrotic scar with good specificity. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in CMR shows a distinctive enhancement pattern for each disease, which may be useful for differential diagnosis of CS from other similar diseases. Effectively, T1 or T2 mapping techniques can be also used for early recognition of CS. In the meantime, PET can detect and quantify metabolic activity and can be used to monitor treatment response. Recently, the use of a hybrid CMR-PET has introduced to allow identify patients with active CS with excellent co-localization and better diagnostic accuracy than CMR or PET alone. However, CS may show various findings with a wide spectrum, therefore, radiologists should consider the possible differential diagnosis of CS including myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Radiologists should recognize the differences in various diseases that show the characteristics of mimicking CS, and try to get an accurate diagnosis of CS.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.77-88
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• 2019

Drought is the recurrent natural disasters which harshly affect agricultural production and society in various parts in Bangladesh. Information on the spatiotemporal variability of drought events plays a vital role to take necessary action towards drought mitigation and sustainable development. This study aims to analyze the spatial and temporal variation of meteorological drought in Bangladesh during 1981-2015 using Effective Drought Index (EDI). Monthly precipitation data for 36 years (1980-2015) were obtained from 27 meteorological stations. Drought frequency (DF) and areal extent of drought were considered to investigate the spatiotemporal structure of drought. The DF analysis showed that the northern, southwestern and central regions of the country are comparatively vulnerable to meteorological drought. The frequency of drought in all categories has considerably increased during the recent five years from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, the most significant increasing trend of the drought-affected area was found over the central region especially for pre-monsoon (March-May) season during this period while the decreasing trend of the affected area was found within the eastern region during the study period. To prevent and mitigate the damages of drought disasters in Bangladesh, agricultural and government managers should pay more attention to those regional drought events that occur in pre-monsoon season. The outcome of the present study can be used as explanatory data in building the strategies to drought monitoring and mitigation activities in Bangladesh.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.99-117
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• 2019

Environmental impact assessment (EIA), which predicts, evaluates, and manages the influences on natural landscape, plays a role of monitoring natural resources for systematic management of natural landscape. However, the function of verification and correction of the system is still insufficient and feed-back, one of the most important features of EIA follow-up, has not been introduced in Korea's EIA system yet. As a procedure, it is required to check if the opinions of the evaluators are properly reflected to the outcomes of the project through a reviewing process after assessing environmental impacts of a development project. In reality, despite the awareness about the importance of follow-up inspection of the conformity with, the system mainly focuses on the agreement during the planning stage of the development project and fails to continuously manage after its completion. There have been various preceding studies related to prediction, evaluation, and management of environmental impacts on natural landscape for better management. They primarily dealt with the problems in the EIA process and suggested improvement measures, including directions for institutional development, step-by-step goals, and operation methods, to address the problems which arise in the EIA follow-up process. However, suggested measures are not actively applied with the focus only put on institutional operation, there are virtually no standardized methods to predict and assess landscape changes due to the development project and to manage landscape after the project. Against this backdrop, this study aims to explore the existing methods to analyze the impacts natural landscape and to establish a system where landscape management is continued after the development project. To this end, we will suggest reducing methods according to the predicted changes in landscape for post-project management of natural landscape. Characteristics of reduction methods by project type were examined through reviewing the guide to natural landscape rating and the importance of development project impacts on natural landscape by type of reduction was evaluated through questionnaire for experts. Evaluated types of reduction are classified and presented by characteristics of each development project and content of reduction type.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.79-91
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• 2021

γ-Glutamylcysteine synthetase (Gcs1) and glutathione reductase (Glr1) activity maintains minimal levels of cellular methylglyoxal in Candida albicans. In glutathione-depleted Δgcs1, we previously saw that NAD(H)-linked methylglyoxal oxidoreductase (Mgd1) and alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh1) are the most active methylglyoxal scavengers. With methylglyoxal accumulation, disruptants lacking MGD1 or ADH1 exhibit a poor redox state. However, there is little convincing evidence for a reciprocal relationship between methylglyoxal scavenger genes-disrupted mutants and changes in glutathione-(in)dependent redox regulation. Herein, we attempt to demonstrate a functional role for methylglyoxal scavengers, modeled on a triple disruptant (Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1), to link between antioxidative enzyme activities and their metabolites in glutathione-depleted conditions. Despite seeing elevated methylglyoxal in all of the disruptants, the result saw a decrease in pyruvate content in Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1 which was not observed in double gene-disrupted strains such as Δmgd1/Δgcs1 and Δadh1/Δgcs1. Interestingly, Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1 exhibited a significantly decrease in H2O2 and superoxide which was also unobserved in Δmgd1/Δgcs1 and Δadh1/Δgcs1. The activities of the antioxidative enzymes erythroascorbate peroxidase and cytochrome c peroxidase were noticeably higher in Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1 than in the other disruptants. Meanwhile, Glr1 activity severely diminished in Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1. Monitoring complementary gene transcripts between double gene-disrupted Δmgd1/Δgcs1 and Δadh1/Δgcs1 supported the concept of an unbalanced redox state independent of the Glr1 activity for Δmgd1/Δadh1/Δgcs1. Our data demonstrate the reciprocal use of Eapx1 and Ccp1 in the absence of both methylglyoxal scavengers; that being pivotal for viability in non-filamentous budding yeast.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.164-172
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• 2021

Purpose: The use of Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in pediatric patients is not as common as in adults. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of EUS in the diagnosis of pancreatobiliary disease in childhood. Methods: Between December 2016 and January 2018, the findings of patients who underwent EUS were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of the 41 patients included in the study 25 were girls (61.0%), mean age was 12.2±4.2 years. EUS was performed for biliary colic in 21 (51.2%), for recurrent pancreatitis in 12 (29.2%), for cholecystitis/cholangitis in 5 (12.2%), and for acute pancreatitis in 3 (7.4%) patients. EUS had a significant clinical effect in the decision of treatment and follow-up of 6/21 biliary colic cases, in diagnosis and follow-up of 6/12 recurrent pancreatitis cases, in decision-making and monitoring of invasive procedures (ERCP/surgery) of 3/5 acute cholecystitis/cholangitis and 2/3 of acute pancreatitis cases as well as in follow-up of the other cases. The effectiveness of EUS in determining direct treatment and invasive intervention was 43.9%. None of the patients had complications related to the EUS procedure. Conclusion: Although current guidelines show that EUS can be used in pediatric patients, this is limited to a few published studies. In this study, it is shown that EUS is a safe method for the diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of common pancreatobiliary pathologies in childhood.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.75-92
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the content and effectiveness of psychosocial support interventions for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: The following databases were searched with no limitation of the time period: Ovid-MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Ovid-Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, NDSL, KoreaMed, RISS, and KISS. Two investigators independently reviewed and selected articles according to the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. ROB 2.0 and the RoBANS 2.0 checklist were used to evaluate study quality. Results: Based on the 14 selected studies, psychosocial support interventions were provided for the purpose of (1) informational support (including GDM and diabetes mellitus information; how to manage diet, exercise, stress, blood glucose, and weight; postpartum management; and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus); (2) self-management motivation (setting goals for diet and exercise management, glucose monitoring, and enhancing positive health behaviors); (3) relaxation (practicing breathing and/or meditation); and (4) emotional support (sharing opinions and support). Psychosocial supportive interventions to women with GDM lead to behavioral change, mostly in the form of self-care behavior; they also reduce depression, anxiety and stress, and have an impact on improving self-efficacy. These interventions contribute to lowering physiological parameters such as fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and 2-hour postprandial glucose levels. Conclusion: Psychosocial supportive interventions can indeed positively affect self-care behaviors, lifestyle changes, and physiological parameters in women with GDM. Nurses can play a pivotal role in integrative management and can streamline the care for women with GDM during pregnancy and following birth, especially through psychosocial support interventions.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.734-742
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• 2021

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and species of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in retail pork meat samples collected during nationwide monitoring. The staphylococcal isolates were characterized for antimicrobial and zinc chloride resistance and enterotoxigenic potential. Methods: A total of 260 pre-packaged pork meat samples were collected from 35 retail markets in 8 provinces in Korea for isolation of staphylococci. Antimicrobial and zinc chloride resistance phenotypes, and genes associated with the resistance phenotypes were determined on the isolates. Furthermore, the presence and distribution of 19 staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes and enterotoxin-like genes among the pork-associated staphylococci were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based assays using the specific primer sets. Results: A total of 29 staphylococcal strains (29/260, 11.1%) were isolated from samples of retail pork meat, 24 (83%) of which were CoNS. The four CoNS species identified were S. saprophyticus (n = 16, 55%), S. sciuri (n = 3, 10%), S. warneri (n = 3, 10%), and S. epidermidis (n = 2, 7%). Among the 29 isolates, four methicillin-resistant CoNS (MR-CoNS; three S. sciuri and one S. epidermidis) and one methicillin-resistant CoPS (MR-CoPS; one S. aureus) were identified. In addition, a relatively high level of tetracycline (TET) resistance (52%) was confirmed in CoNS, along with a predominant distribution of tet(K). The most prevalent SEs were sep (45%), and sen (28%), which were carried by 81% of S. saprophyticus. Conclusion: These findings suggest that CoNS, especially S. saprophyticus strains, in raw pork meat could be a potential risk factor for staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), and therefore, requires further investigation to elucidate the role of SEls in SFP and virulence of the pathogen. Our results also suggest that CoNS from raw pork meat may act as a source for transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes such as staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec and tet(K).

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.30-44
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• 2022

The primary function of an electronic records management system (ERMS) is to support organisations in providing effective records management services by enabling efficient remote access to the organisations' records. This helps the organisation to continue running during emergency events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to study ERMS for accessing records remotely has increased dramatically, due to the increase in daily use. The situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for implementing proper digital systems, such as ERMS, to enable efficient work processes and enhance business continuity. An ERMS has the potential to allow organisations to create records and workflows off-site. During a pandemic, the ability to structure processes digitally helps in maintaining operations remotely. This study aims to provide a narrative review of the ERMS literature with an emphasis on explaining the primary components of ERMS that act as enablers for the implementation of the system in the oil and gas sector of developing countries. The current study proposes ERMS roles and responsibilities that could enhance business continuity. The authors use a qualitative narrative review and analyse the literature related to this study and its findings. The results show that, in cases of risk or crises, staff members need to have easy access to their records and documents to remain productive. An ERMS allows professionals to remain active and work off-site. Thus, ERMS play a significant role in protecting an organisation's content through the monitoring and control over who has authorisation to access its records.

• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2022

This study investigates the influence of atmospheric river (AR) on precipitation over South Korea with a focus on regional characteristics. The 42-year-long catalog of ARs, which is obtained by applying the automatic AR detection algorithm to ERA5 reanalysis data and the insitu precipitation data recorded at 56 weather stations across the country are used to quantify their relationship. Approximately 51% of the climatological annual precipitation is associated with AR. The AR-related precipitation is most pronounced in summer by approximately 58%, while only limited fraction of precipitation (26%) is AR-related in winter. The heavy precipitation (> 30 mm day^-1) is more prone to AR activity (59%) than weak precipitation (5~30 mm day^-1; 33%) in all seasons. By grouping weather stations into the four sub-regions based on orography, it is found that the contribution of AR precipitation to the total is largest in the southern coast (57%) and smallest in the eastern coast (36%). Similar regional variations in AR precipitation fractions also occur in weak precipitation events. The regional contrast between the northern and southern stations is related to the seasonal variation of AR-frequency. In addition, the regional contrast between the western and eastern stations is partly modulated by the orographic forcing. The fractional contribution of AR to heavy precipitation exceeds 50% in all seasons, but this is true only in summer along the eastern coast. This result indicates that ARs play a critical role in heavy precipitation in South Korea, thus routine monitoring of ARs is needed for improving operational hydrometeorological forecasting.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.137-146
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• 2021

Recently, public participation in government policy design has been further expanded and public services perceived by users are expanding. At this time, the role of the digital government and the direction of the service to be pursued are user-centered, and above all, it is necessary to focus on the keywords of pre-emptive, preventive, and customized. In order to propose service quality improvement in the public sector, service user-centered classification and monitoring are integrated and the usability of government documents is improved. It is necessary to identify the needs of whether to provide a path for public participation. In the post-corona era, people are accessing quarantine information from the digital government every day. The government should proactively respond to the acceleration of digital transformation and the non-face-to-face demands of the people who experience non-face-to-face daily life. In order to evolve into a smart organization along with the innovation promotion plan and to provide customized services, it is necessary to use existing guides for institutional and technical improvement, along with new technology and data-based analysis, to strive for change management. The government should seek counter-measures that have advanced one step ahead by incorporating new high-tech IT with user-centered necessary services. This study aims to derive improvement plans to provide user-centered digital government service design when designing public services and collecting public opinions. Based on the e-government development model research and the existing research on user-centered service design in the public sector, institutional and technical measures are provided for the improvement of digital government service design.