• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.334-340
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• 2017

Wound healing is the restoration in injured skin tissue and one of the most important therapeutic targets. The process consists of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. There have been reported multiple factors that accelerate and delay wound healing. In this study we tested the hypothesis that Sophorae Radix extract would improve the recovery of wound healing after full-thickness skin wound in rats. Twenty young male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the studies. A full-thickness skin wound was made on the dorsal skin of the rats. Either Sophorae Radix water extract (SR) or saline (Control) was orally administrated every day. The wound area was measured and the percentages of wound contraction, wound healed and wound epithelization were evaluated. After 15 days, the skin tissues were excised and examined by histopathological and immunohistochemistrical method. In results, wound area in SR group was significantly decreased to compared with Control. SR group showed the significant enhancements in the percentages of wound contraction, wound healed and wound epithelization. Histopathological examination revealed that SR induces neo-vascularization potential in wound healing process. SR treatment in rats significantly accelerated cutaneous wound healing in the angiogenesis process by increasing VEGF and TGF-${\beta}1$ synthesis. These results suggest that Sophorae Radix enhance skin wound repair by increasing the angiogenic agents such as VEGF and TGF-${\beta}1$.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2016

This study aims at providing basic data to objectively evaluate the areas suitable for reintroduction of the species of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in order to effectively preserve the Asiatic black bears in the Korean protection areas including national parks, and for the species restoration success. To this end, this study predicted the potential habitats in East Asia, Southeast Asia and India, where there are the records of Asiatic black bears' appearances using the Maxent model and environmental variables related with climate, topography, road and land use. In addition, this study evaluated the effects of the relevant climate and environmental variables. This study also analyzed inhabitation range area suitable for Asiatic black and geographic change according to future climate change. As for the judgment accuracy of the Maxent model widely utilized for habitat distribution research of wildlife for preservation, AUC value was calculated as 0.893 (sd=0.121). This was useful in predicting Asiatic black bears' potential habitat and evaluate the habitat change characteristics according to future climate change. Compare to the distribution map of Asiatic black bears evaluated by IUCN, Habitat suitability by the Maxent model were regionally diverse in extant areas and low in the extinct areas from IUCN map. This can be the result reflecting the regional difference in the environmental conditions where Asiatic black bears inhabit. As for the environment affecting the potential habitat distribution of Asiatic black bears, inhabitation rate was the highest, according to land coverage type, compared to climate, topography and artificial factors like distance from road. Especially, the area of deciduous broadleaf forest was predicted to be preferred, in comparison with other land coverage types. Annual mean precipitation and the precipitation during the driest period were projected to affect more than temperature's annual range, and the inhabitation possibility was higher, as distance was farther from road. The reason is that Asiatic black bears are conjectured to prefer more stable area without human's intervention, as well as prey resource. The inhabitation range was predicted to be expanded gradually to the southern part of India, China's southeast coast and adjacent inland area, and Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia in the eastern coastal areas of Southeast Asia. The following areas are forecast to be the core areas, where Asiatic black bears can inhabit in the Asian region: Jeonnam, Jeonbuk and Gangwon areas in South Korea, Kyushu, Chugoku, Shikoku, Chubu, Kanto and Tohoku's border area in Japan, and Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian border area in China. This study is expected to be used as basic data for the preservation and efficient management of Asiatic black bear's habitat, artificially introduced individual bear's release area selection, and the management of collision zones with humans.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.562-581
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• 2018

This study was designed to predict the changes in species richness of plants under the climate change in South Korea. The target species were selected based on the Plants Adaptable to Climate Change in the Korean Peninsula. Altogether, 89 species including 23 native plants, 30 northern plants, and 36 southern plants. We used the Species Distribution Model to predict the potential habitat of individual species under the climate change. We applied ten single-model algorithms and the pre-evaluation weighted ensemble method. And then, species richness was derived from the results of individual species. Two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) were used to simulate the species richness of plants in 2050 and 2070. The current species richness was predicted to be high in the national parks located in the Baekdudaegan mountain range in Gangwon Province and islands of the South Sea. The future species richness was predicted to be lower in the national park and the Baekdudaegan mountain range in Gangwon Province and to be higher for southern coastal regions. The average value of the current species richness showed that the national park area was higher than the whole area of South Korea. However, predicted species richness were not the difference between the national park area and the whole area of South Korea. The difference between current and future species richness of plants could be the disappearance of a large number of native and northern plants from South Korea. The additional reason could be the expansion of potential habitat of southern plants under climate change. However, if species dispersal to a suitable habitat was not achieved, the species richness will be reduced drastically. The results were different depending on whether species were dispersed or not. This study will be useful for the conservation planning, establishment of the protected area, restoration of biological species and strategies for adaptation of climate change.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.24-36
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• 2021

Countries around the world, including the Republic of Korea, are participating in efforts to preserve biodiversity. Concerning species, in particular, studies that aim to find potential habitats and establish conservation plans by conducting habitat suitability analysis for specific species are actively ongoing. However, few studies on mid- to long-term changes in suitable habitat areas are based on accumulated information. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the time-series changes in the habitat suitable area and examine the otters' changing pattern (Lutra lutra) designated as Level 1 endangered wildlife in Gangwon-do. The time-series change analysis used the data on otter species' presence points from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th national natural environment surveys conducted for about 20 years. Moreover, it utilized the land cover map consistent with the survey period to create environmental variables to reflect each survey period's habitat environment. The suitable habitat area analysis used the MaxEnt model that can run based only on the species presence information, and it has been proven to be reliable by previous studies. The study derived the habitat suitability map for otters in each survey period, and it showed a tendency that habitats were distributed around rivers. Comparing the response curves of the environmental variables derived from the modeling identified the characteristics of the habitat favored by otters. The examination of habitats' change by survey period showed that the habitats based on the 2nd National Natural Environment Survey had the widest distribution. The habitats of the 3rd and 4th surveys showed a tendency of decrease in area. Moreover, the study aggregated the analysis results of the three survey periods and analyzed and categorized the habitat's changing pattern. The type of change proposed different conservation plans, such as field surveys, monitoring, protected area establishment, and restoration plan. This study is significant because it produced a comprehensive analysis map that showed the time-series changes of the location and area of the otter habitat and proposed a conservation plan that is necessary according to the type of habitat change by region. We believe that the method proposed in this study and its results can be used as reference data for establishing a habitat conservation and management plan in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-107
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• 2008

Recently, there have been many projects regarding restoration of streams to recover their environmental and ecological functions. For the restoration of streams, it is valuable academically and economically to evaluate the ecological condition of streams and build a plan and an object for restoring streams based on that. On the other hand, one of the methods to figure out the ecological condition of streams is to evaluate the hydromorphological structure of stream. In this study we have developed a field survey system using the stream assessment methode of LAWA (Laenderarbeitsgemeinschaft Wasser in Germany) that can assess the hydromorphological structure of small and medium streams. In addition, we constructed a GIS-based stream assesment system which can support auto mapping system and report writing, using the survey results. These systems are aimed to help people in the area of restoring streams perceive the natural and ecological condition of streams in the process of making plans and managing the projects, and they also try to help in collecting raw data to determine an ideal potential model to which an existing stream should be turned.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.614-624
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to offer the raw data for establishing the plan of disaster prevention and the continuous conservation of soil ecosystem by grasping the potential soil loss and the danger of erosion using RUSLE method on whole districts in Gyeongju National Park, Korea. In the results of the average amount of soil erosion for the year, the average of all districts was 5.7 ton/ha in annual, and Namsan district was the highest in 7.6 ton/ha in annual and Seoak district was the lowest in 2.1 ton/ha in annual. The dangerous district due to the soil erosion was analyzed as under 1%, and Gumisan and Hwarange district was not serious. But Namsan district was higher than others, especially, there was intensive in all over Geumohbong. Therefore, to protect the all over Geumohbong, we will establish the valid of restoration and management. The types of land cover in Gyeongju National Park mostly showed forest, and as the average amount of soil erosion in forest was 3.7 ton/ha in annual, there was good condition. In the results of the amount of soil erosion due to landform, the deep canyon showed as 7.3 ton/ha in annual per unit area, secondly, the U-shaped valley was analyzed as 6.1 ton/ha in annual. The plain and high ridge were predicted that there occurred the small amount of soil erosion. In future, if we will analyze the amount of soil erosion in Korean National Parks, we will offer the help to establishing the plan of conservation and restoration on soil ecosystem in whole National Parks.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.201-212
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics affecting traffic accidents that have occurred in 564 industrial complexes nationwide from 2011 to 2015. METHODS : The traffic accidents were specified using various factors such as industrial complex type (national VS. general), industrial complex degradation (old VS. non-old), location of complex (capital VS. non-capital), and traffic law violation (speeding, signal violation, and median invasion). The average number of crashes and accident ratio (fatal, severe, and both) in terms of characteristics of industrial complexes were calculated. With a sample of crashes of the industrial complexes for 5 years, statistical significances were tested to analyze and compare the differences based on industrial complex and traffic law characteristics using parametric and non-parametric methods. RESULTS : From statistical results, it is observed that the crash frequency occurring in old industrial complexes is three times higher than that in non-old industrial complexes. Old industrial complexes located in a capital area, old national industrial complexes, and old general industrial complexes are considerably related to higher crash frequency, but the fatal accident ratio appeared to have no statistical difference across industrial complex characteristics. Severe crashes are more likely to occur in non-old industrial complexes on an average. CONCLUSIONS : It is necessary to eliminate potential threats to roads and traffic in the same manner as illegal parking in industrial complexes through the restoration of old industrial complexes. To improve the efficiency of road infrastructure, efforts should be made to improve traffic safety in accordance with industrial characteristics such as planning and operation of relevant local government programs.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.503-507
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• 2011

There was a plan to develop a low-carbon green village(approximately $400,000m^2$) in A city, a new town. Restoration of water cycle is essential for creation of the low-carbon green village. Therefore, installation plan of LID-decentralized rainwater management facilities for natural water cycle was established for creation of the low-carbon green village. Analyses on effect of the water cycle were performed in conditions of before, after developing the low-carbon green village and after installing the LID facilities(rain garden, constructed wetland, rainwater harvesting facility, etc.) using SWMM-LID model developed by EPA. Due to the characteristic of permeable area before development and significant green spaces after development, installation plan of LID facilities to restore the water cycle did not show an obvious effect. However, potential of the hydrological cycle could be seen by the installation of the LID facilities.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.199-207
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• 2024

Introduction: Gullain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rapid, symmetric muscle weakness that often follows respiratory or gastrointestinal infections. Standard treatments include plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin, but outcomes can vary among patients. The integration of Korean medicine, notably unexplored in quantitative assessments of balance and walking, provides a novel approach to treatment. Case presentation: A 53-year-old male diagnosed with GBS presented to the hospital 8 days post-onset. He received treatments consisting of acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and rehabilitation over a period of approximately 4 weeks. Upon admission, the patient exhibited symptoms of both limb weakness and paresthesia, requiring the use of a wheelchair. Post-treatment, muscle strength and balance were significantly improved, leading to the restoration of independent ambulation, including running. Conclusions: This case illustrates the potential of integrated Korean and conventional medical treatments to accelerate recovery in GBS patients, overcoming typical prognosis timelines. The improvements in gait and balance were substantiated by quantitative assessments, suggesting a promising area for further research into the effects of combined therapeutic approaches to GBS recovery.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.24-32
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• 2019

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the total area of unexecuted urban planning facilities in Korea is about $1,257km^2$, of which 47% is the unexecuted urban green space and forests. In the case of Seoul, the total area of unexecuted urban planning facilities is about $66km^2$, which is 5.24% of the total unexecuted area in the entire country. In Seoul, approximately 88% of the total unexecuted area is urban green space and forests, which is higher than the national rate. About 92% of the unexecuted urban planning facilities are long-term unexecuted urban planning facilities that are more than 10 years old. This study assessed the economic value of potential ecosystem services, focusing on the regulation service, supporting service, and cultural service, for urban green space and forests of unexecuted urban planning facilities in Seoul by using meta-regression analysis. As a result, the value of the regulation service provided by the urban green space and forests in Seoul was about 16.39 billion KRW, the value of the supporting service was about 5.8 billion KRW, and the cultural service value was about 7.78 billion KRW. The total value of ecosystem services is about 33.93 billion KRW. The values of regulation service and cultural service were the highest, and that was attributed to the characteristics of the downtown area. The significance of this study is to evaluate the value of ecosystem services for unexecuted urban planning facilities in Seoul. The results of this study can be used not only in the process of urban planning or policymaking but also land compensation methods applying the concept of an ecosystem service payment system.