• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.157-163
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• 2015

Nanotechnology has advanced at an extremely rapid pace over the past several years in numerous fields of research. However, the uptake of nanoparticles (NPs) into the body after administration through various routes may pose a risk to human health. In this study, we investigated the potential ocular toxicity of 20-nm, negatively- charged zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs in rats using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histopathological assessment. Animals were divided into four groups as control group, ZnO NPs treatment group (500 mg/kg/day), control recovery group, and ZnO NPs treatment and recovery group. Ocular samples were prepared from animals treated for 90 days (10 males and 10 females, respectively) and from recovery animals (5 males and 5 females, respectively) sacrificed at 14 days after final treatment and were compared to age-matched control animals. Micro-CT analyses represented the deposition and distribution of foreign materials in the eyes of rats treated with ZnO NPs, whereas control animals showed no such findings. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and energy dispersive spectrometry showed the intraocular foreign materials as zinc in treated rats, whereas control animals showed no zinc signal. Histopathological examination revealed the retinopathy in the eyes of rats treated with ZnO NPs. Neuronal nuclei expression was decreased in neurons of the ganglion cell layer of animals treated with ZnO NPs compared to the control group. Taken together, treatment with 20-nm, negatively-charged ZnO NPs increased retinopathy, associated with local distribution of them in ocular lesions.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.97-104
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• 2015

Sleep is not only an essential physiological function, but also serves important roles in promoting growth, maturation, and overall health of humans. There is increasing interest regarding the impact of sleep and its disorders on the regulation of inflammatory processes and end-organ morbidities, particularly in the context of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their complications. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an increasingly common health problem in children. In the last decade, the emergence of increasing obesity rates has further led to remarkable increases in the prevalence of OSAS, along with more prominent neurocognitive, behavioral, cardiovascular and metabolic morbidities. Although the underlying mechanisms leading to OSAS-induced morbidities are likely multifactorial and remain to be fully elucidated, activation of inflammatory pathways by OSAS has emerged as an important pathophysiological component of the end-organ injury associated with this disorder. To this effect, it would appear that OSAS could be viewed as a chronic, low-grade inflammatory disorder. Furthermore, the concurrent presence of obesity and OSAS poses a theoretically increased risk of OSAS-related complications. In this study, we will critically review the current state of research regarding the impact of insufficient and disrupted sleep and OSAS on the immune processes and inflammatory pathways that underlie childhood OSAS as a distinctive systemic inflammatory condition in children, and will explore potential interactions between OSAS and obesity.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2019

Background: South Korea operates a Medical Aid (MA) program targeting selected low-income individuals to ensure medical service delivery to the disadvantaged while enhancing self-sufficiency of work-capable beneficiaries. However, as reasons behind welfare exits are diverse and do not always infer poverty relief or the provision of appropriate levels of health care services, this study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MA status and health care utilization. Methods: This study used the 2006 to 2015 National Health Insurance claims data. The impact of changes in annual MA status on health care utilization (yearly number of outpatient visits, inpatient visits, length of stay, and emergency department [ED] visits) was investigated using the generalized estimating equation model. Results: In 117,943 adult subjects aged 20 to 64, compared to the 'MA to MA' group, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed general decreases in utilization (outpatient visits: β=-3.93, p<0.0001; hospital admissions: relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.91; length of stay: β=-3.64, p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). Similar patterns were found in the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (outpatient visits: β=-5.72, p<0.0001; admissions: RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; length of stay: β=-5.87; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.88). Likewise, in 74,747 older adult subjects aged 65 or above, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed reduced levels of utilization (outpatient visits: β=-1.51; p=0.0020), as well as the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (admissions: RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.95; length of stay: β, -5.45; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.97). Conclusion: MA exit was associated with general decreases in health care utilization. Utilization patterns of individuals with experiences of receiving MA benefits should be monitored to promote the ideal use of health care services while preventing potential financial barriers present in accessing medical care.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.192-199
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• 2015

Under the economic banner of "self-reliance," North Korea has focused on hydro and thermal power as its main energy supply sources. However, in the face of extreme energy penury caused by machinery and material supply instability in the wake of the collapse of the former communist block as well as equipment aging and deterioration due to floods and other disasters, North Korea and international aid organizations are increasingly turning their attention toward energy source diversification. In particular, renewable energy is recognized as the best strategic energy source for North Korea and it is a decentralized energy option that is suitable in light of North Korea's power distribution networks and its pursuit of self-reliance. Biogas can contribute to improving the human rights situation of North Koreans in conjunction with an increase in food production. For this reason, renewable energy is the most promising option for an energy source that is likely to secure humanitarian aid from international organizations such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). However, the implementation of such humanitarian aid has been hampered by rising concerns about the diversion of provided energy materials for military purposes and the disguised introduction of dual use items strategic materials as well as UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions of the international community against North Korea's military provocation, including nuclear tests and missile launches. This paper explores the possibility of solving this dilemma and proceeding with the humanitarian aid to North Korea by evaluating the potential for sanction and the risk of diversion of the possible products for biogas-related aid on the basis of the list of UN-sanctioned items.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.419-424
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• 2007

The contents were investigated by the monitoring survey from the soils and tailings caused by numerous abandoned mines in Korea. Cause heavy metals due to abandoned metal mines are raising significant environmental problems. But it is an important key such as a leaching and a transfer mechanism to evaluate contamination levels caused by abandoned mines. In this study the column test was carried in order to calculate a leaching level from soils and tailings. It was demonstrated that the leaching of Pb, Cd and Mn was expressed with similar behaviors and that of As and Cu was expressed with similar behaviors. For Zn, the leaching behavior was shown a serious leaching level with 40 mg/kg during the 45days. This was explained by Zn high contents of soils Zn in a natural world and ORP conditions where the leaching of Zn was occurred easily. Hence it was necessary that the survey of ORP was a key as well as total contents for the management of abandoned metal mines. We could estimate the chemical forms of heavy metals using the physical index such as ORP and pH and reduce the risk from heavy metals caused by abandoned metal mines.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2006

Recently, there has been prevailing of the combined utilization (CU) with herbs and prescribed drugs in medical therapies in the world. But the information about frequency, efficacy and safety of this CU has not well known in Korea, yet. This study aimed to identify the status of CU by Koreans, and to inquire which side effects of CU represent to those people. A self-completed questionnaire survey was performed through each health examination center in twenty general hospitals and one oriental hospital. Of the initial 2,100 health examinees, 1,851 were participated in this survey, resulting in a response rate of 88.1%. The proportion of CD was 26.3%. The most commonly mentioned reason of CD was 'to promote general health and well-being' (17l persons, 35.5%). The main route of taking CD was self-purchase at drugstore or at herbs market, followed by the prescription of (oriental)physicians. 33.0% (151 persons) of those who took the CD rated it as effective. 93 respondents (19.8%) were experienced several adverse effects including nausea, fatigue, and dizziness. The growing simultaneous use of herbal products and pharmaceutical drugs by Korean consumers may be continuously increased the risk of herb-drug interactions. The medical professionals should be provided with comprehensive and up-to-date information about potential benefits and risks of herbs and prescribed drugs. In the future studies it may be recommended to deal common cold, health promotion, indigestion, headache, and hypertension for the effect and safety of the CD by well-organized prospective study design.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2015

VHSV is a major viral agent that affects freshwater and marine fish, causing serious economic losses in aquaculture in the world. Due to their filter-feeding activity, bivalve mollusks may act as viral transmitters after accumulation of the fish viruses released into seawater from infected fish. Amplification by RT-PCR was carried out to investigate the presence of VHSV in pacific oysters (Crassotrea gigas) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), inhabiting regions around aquatic farms in Korea. Primers designed from conserved regions of VHSVs allowed us to detect four different types of VHSV in a single PCR. Twenty two of the eighty four samples showed positive results of VHSV in a 2-step RT-PCR. Using six positive samples from three different regions in Korea, we cloned and sequenced the glycoprotein (G) gene (467-bp long) of VHSVs. Genetic analysis of the VHSVs detected in shellfish in various geographical areas of Korea showed highly restricted results to VHSV type Iva. This was in agreement with the reports showing only a single genotype of VHSV (Iva genotype) in outbreaks in cultured or wild fish in Korea. Consequently, we investigated VHSVs carried by bivalve mollusks inhabiting the vicinity of aquatic farms, and revealed correlationship between the type of viral accumulated in shellfish by filter-feeding, and those detected in disease outbreaks in fish.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2015

Location-based social media data have high potential to be used in various area such as big data, location based services and so on. In this study, we applied a series of analysis methodology to figure out how the important keywords in location-based social media are spatially distributed by analyzing text information. For this purpose, we collected tweet data with geo-tag in Gangnam district and its environs in Seoul for a month of August 2013. From this tweet data, principle keywords are extracted. Among these, keywords of three categories such as food, entertainment and work and study are selected and classified by category. The spatial clustering is conducted to the tweet data which contains keywords in each category. Clusters of each category are compared with buildings and benchmark POIs in the same position. As a result of comparison, clusters of food category showed high consistency with commercial areas of large scale. Clusters of entertainment category corresponded with theaters and sports complex. Clusters of work and study showed high consistency with areas where private institutes and office buildings are concentrated.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2020

This study determines the basic properties and acid rock drainage generation capacity of Pohang tertiary mudstone through laboratory experiments. According to X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis results, the mudstone of this area mostly comprised of SiO₂ with a proportion of approximately 60%, followed in order by Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃. As such, it is clear that there is an abundance of aluminosilicates with a high probability of generating acid rock drainage. The XRD analysis showed that the mudstone contains pyrite (FeS₂), it is highly likely to generate acid rock drainage, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis results showed that the mudstone samples contained a high amount of Fe²⁺ ions. As a result of anion analysis measured by ion chromatography (IC), all mudstone samples were measured to have high SO^2-₄ concentrations. According to elemental analysis, the total sulfur (S) content was high, which in turn indicates a high risk of acid rock drainage generation reflected by a maximum potential acidity (MPA) higher than 1%. All in all, although there were slight deviations between the tertiary mudstone samples, overall, the samples exhibited high acid rock drainage generation capacities.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to internet addiction in 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from low income families. Methods: Participants for this study were 201 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from low income families living in Taegu. Data were collected from March, 2 to May, 29, 2013 using self-report structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS/Win 20.0 programme. Results: Among the students, 78.6% were regular users, 14.4% were potential users, and 7.0% were high-risk users. The factors influencing internet addiction, in order of importance, were; conversation with family, followed by depression. Conclusion: These results suggest that efforts should make to monitor use of internet by elementary school children from low income families, and preventive strategies should be developed taking into consideration factors that influence internet addiction.