• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.355-372
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to provide baseline data for establishing a sugar reduction policy at coffee shops by analyzing the factors that affect a coffee shop user's perception and behavioral intention of reducing sugar intake. Methods: An online survey was conducted involving 1,274 Daegu citizens aged 19-49 years, who had visited coffee shops within the last month. Results: When visiting a coffee shop, the purchase of sweet drinks was higher in the younger age group, and the addition of syrup or sugar was higher in the older age group. Of the total respondents, 42.1% were aware that some coffee shops accommodate reduced sugar requests, 57.9% perceived the need to reduce sugar in coffee shop beverages and 22.3% had purchased beverages intending to reduce their sugar intake. In addition, 59.7% knew about sugar nutrition labeling, and 68.8% perceived the need for nutrition labeling for sugar. When purchasing beverages, 35.6% checked the nutrition labeling, and 77.2% purchased alternative drinks when the sugar content was high. Guiding the choice of sweetness levels in coffee shop orders was seen to have the highest effectiveness and intention to reduce sugar intake. Moreover, the perceived need to reduce sugar intake had the most positive effect on the behavioral intention to reduce sugars in coffee shop beverages (β = 0.558, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although the overall awareness and practice of reducing the sugar intake in coffee shop users were low, the behavioral intention to reduce sugars was positive, and this was most affected by the perception of the need to reduce sugars. Therefore, there is a need for differentiated education and promotion for each age group for recognizing the necessity and outlining methods for reducing sugar intake. Furthermore, coffee shops should reflect customer's sugar reduction needs.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.141-154
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• 2021

In this study, the effect of the restoration of Yaksa stream and the construction of an apartment complex by the urban renewal project in the Yaksa district of Chuncheon on air quality in the surrounding area was evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model simulations. In orderto compare the impact of the project, wind and pollutant concentration fields were simulated using topographic data in 2011 and 2017, which stand for the periods before and after the urban renewal project, respectively. In the numerical experiments, the scenarios were set to analyze the effect of the construction of the apartment complex and the effect of stream restoration. Wind direction and wind speed data obtained from the Chuncheon Automated Synoptic Observing System (ASOS) were used as the inflow boundary conditions, and the simulation results were weighted according to the frequencies of the eight-directional inflow wind directions. The changes in wind speed and NO_X concentration distribution according to the changes in building and terrain between scenarios were compared. As a result, the concentration of NO_X emitted from the surrounding roads increased by the construction of the apartment complex, and the magnitude of the increase was reduced as the result of including the effect of stream restoration. The concentration of NO_X decreased around the restored stream, while the concentration increased significantly around the constructed apartment complex. The increase in the concentration of NO_X around the apartment complex was more pronounced in the place located in the rear of the wind direction to the apartment complex, and the effect remains up to the height of the building. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the relative arrangement of apartment complex construction and stream restoration in relation to the main wind direction of the target area was one of the major factors in determining the surrounding air quality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2021

The study investigates the correlation between the seasonal changes in the absorption of fine dusts and the fine structure of surface on each type of street tree, such as Quercus myrsinifolia, Quercus glauca, Quercus salicina, Camellia japonica, and Prunus × yedoensis in the southernareas of Korea. The absorption ranges of fine dust were 31.51~110.44 ㎍/cm² in January, 23.20~79.30 ㎍/cm² in November, 22.68~76.90 ㎍/cm² in May, and 9.88~49.91 ㎍/cm² in August. The absorption value was about 54.4% higher in January than in May. With the grooves and hairs on the leaf surface and lots of wax, Q. salicina seems related to the high absorption rate of fine dust for each fine dust particle size. The one with gloss and smooth leaf surface has a low amount of wax. C. japonica Prunus × yedoensisshowed a low absorption rate of fine dust in each season. Whereas the increase in porosity density, length, and leaf area size can be related to the reduced PM and increasedabsorption rate, the leaf surface roughness, total wax amount, and porosity width can be related to the increase in the PM absorption rate. There was also a high correlation between the total wax amount and absorption rate of the leaf surface at the size of PM_0.2 than PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. These results imply that the quantitative and qualitative trais of leaf, such as wax amounts and leaf surface,can increase the absorption of fine dusts, and the small-sized particles seem to be highly adsorbed with the high wax amounts.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.409-425
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• 2021

Carbon dioxide has been known to be a typical greenhouse gas causing global warming, and a number of efforts have been proposed to reduce its concentration in the atmosphere. Among them, carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) has been taken into great account to accomplish the target reduction of carbon dioxide. In order to commercialize the CCS, its safety should be secured. In particular, if the stored carbon dioxide is leaked in the arable land, serious problems could come up in terms of crop growth. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of carbon dioxide leaked from storage sites on soil fertility. The leakage of carbon dioxide was simulated using the facility of its artificial injection into soils in the laboratory. Several soil chemical properties, such as pH, cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity, the concentrations of exchangeable cations, nitrogen (N) (total-N, nitrate-N, and ammonia-N), phosphorus (P) (total-P and available-P), sulfur (S) (total-S and available-S), available-boron (B), and the contents of soil organic matter, were monitored as indicators of soil fertility during the period of artificial injection of carbon dioxide. Two kinds of soils, such as non-cultivated and cultivated soils, were compared in the artificial injection tests, and the latter included maize- and soybean-cultivated soils. The non-cultivated soil (NCS) was sandy soil of 42.6% porosity, the maize-cultivated soil (MCS) and soybean-cultivated soil (SCS) were loamy sand having 46.8% and 48.0% of porosities, respectively. The artificial injection facility had six columns: one was for the control without carbon dioxide injection, and the other five columns were used for the injections tests. Total injection periods for NCS and MCS/SCS were 60 and 70 days, respectively, and artificial rainfall events were simulated using one pore volume after the 12-day injection for the NCS and the 14-day injection for the MCS/SCS. After each rainfall event, the soil fertility indicators were measured for soil and leachate solution, and they were compared before and after the injection of carbon dioxide. The results indicate that the residual concentrations of exchangeable cations, total-N, total-P, the content of soil organic matter, and electrical conductivity were not likely to be affected by the injection of carbon dioxide. However, the residual concentrations of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, available-P, available-S, and available-B tended to decrease after the carbon dioxide injection, indicating that soil fertility might be reduced. Meanwhile, soil pH did not seem to be influenced due to the buffering capacity of soils, but it is speculated that a long-term leakage of carbon dioxide might bring about soil acidification.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.29-34
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• 2021

Purpose Sample reception environment system in nuclear medicine has not changed much compared to 20 years ago. When preparing sample for in vitro test, there was no significant change because the test was carried out by generating an own specimen from the parent specimen. In this study, We would like to introduce a method that automatically removes the sample cap using the automated decapper equipment and enables automatic reception at the same time. In addition, including a provisional reception system. Materials and Methods In 2019, it was intended to get a device that automatically removes the cap of a patient's blood sample. This equipment is the same as the equipment used in the Department of Laboratory Medicine (Vacuette Ⓡ Unicap Belt Decapper, Greiner bio-one, Austria). However, the purchase was delayed due to differences in tube size, budget, and space. In January 2020, we borrowed domestic automatic decapper equipment and modified it to suit our laboratory environment. After 9 months, we were able to introduce a system that automatically removes the lid of a patient's blood sample and at the same time automatically accepts the test. And, through the provisional reception system, it was possible to know the arrival of the specimen in a short time. Results With the use of an automatic decapper device, the sample cap was automatically removed, and the reception proceeded at the same time. So, it was very efficient at work because it shortened the sample preparation time by about 20 minutes. In addition, it was possible to prevent the examiner's musculoskeletal disorders caused by repeated wrist use. After using the provisional reception system, patients were able to be discharged quickly, and the number of phone calls to confirm the arrival of samples was reduced. Conclusion Most hospitals have about four employees in the nuclear medicine in vitro laboratory. It is effective to use automatic decapper equipment and a provisional reception system for organizations that perform work with the minimum number of personnel.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.419-427
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• 2021

In South Korea, direct seeding of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is difficult during spring cultivation in early March because of the low yield production associated with late flowering and poor seed quality. To compare the period of direct sowing, the present study investigated the growth characteristics of rapeseed according to planting dates. Specifically, 35 day-old seedlings were transplanted or directly sown on four different dates (late February, early March, late March, and early April) in 2020 and 2021. As the planting date was delayed, the days to flowering of rapeseed decreased. Similarly, the plant height, seed set percentage, and seed yield of rapeseed were reduced upon delay in planting. The seed yield of rapeseed through direct seeding in late February was the highest, 2.76 ton·ha^-1. On all seeding dates, except for late February, the transplanted rapeseed produced a higher yields than the directly seeded rapeseed. The crude oil and oleic acid content, which is related to the quality of rapeseed, decreased with the delay in planting dates, and this decrease was greater, with the direct seeding of rapeseed depending on the sowing time. In the correlation analysis, the planting date was significantly and negatively correlated with the yield, crude oil content, and oleic acid content of the transplanted rapeseed, while the sowing date was negatively correlated with the plant height, silique size, yield, and seed quality of the directly seeded rapeseed. Finally, the effect of planting date on rapeseed growth was stronger in direct seeding than in transplanting. Therefore, during spring cultivation after late February to early March, transplanting, rather than direct seeding, in more advantageous in terms of seed quality and yield.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.618-630
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• 2021

Purpose: The ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) is widely cultivated as a spice for its aromatic and pungent components. One of its constituents, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is usually thought to cross the cell membrane through dopamine uptake transporters, and induce inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study examines the neuroprotective effect and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity of fermented ginger extracts (FGEs) on 6-OHDA induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Methods: Ginger was fermented using 2 species of Bacillus subtilis, with or without enzyme pretreatment. Each sample was extracted with 70% ethanol. Neurotoxicity was assessed by applying the EZ-Cytox cell viability assay and by measuring lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Morphological changes of apoptotic cell nuclei were observed by Hoechst staining. Cell growth and apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells were determined by Western blotting and enzyme activity analysis of caspase-3, and AChE enzymatic activity was determined by the colorimetric assay. Results: In terms of cell viability and LDH release, exposure to FGE showed neuroprotective activities against 6-OHDA stimulated stress in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, FGE reduced the 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis, as determined by Hoechst staining. The occurrence of apoptosis in 6-OHDA treated cells was confirmed by determining the caspase-3 activity. Exposure to 6-OHDA resulted in increased caspase-3 activity of SH-SY5Y cells, as compared to the unexposed group. However, pre-treatment with FGE inhibited the activity of caspase-3. The neuroprotective effects of FGE were also found to be caspase-dependent, based on reduction of caspase-3 activity. Exposure to FGE also inhibited the activity of AChE induced by 6-OHDA, in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Taken together, our results show that FGE exhibits a neuroprotective effect in 6-OHDA treated SH-SY5Y cells, thereby making it a potential novel agent for the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.297-305
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• 2022

The goal of this study was to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of radish leaf extracts (MU-C) and radish leaf extracts with 3% citric acid (MU-CA) in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6 mice. The effects of radish leaf extracts on adipogenesis were also investigated using 3T3-L1 adipocytes. As determined by Oil red O staining, MU-C inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD for 6 weeks and then treated with radish leaf extracts (500 mg/kg, p.o.) for 6 weeks. Then, the serum levels of Aspartate aminotransferase, Alanine aminotransferase, Total cholesterol, Triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the mice were measured using an automatic chemical analyzer and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Administration of MU-C significantly reduced the fat weight when compared with HFD controls. As confirmed by histopathologic analysis, adipose tissue size markedly decreased in mice treated with MU-C. Therefore, this study could provide a basis for investigating the clinical use of MU-C as an agent for preventing obesity.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.265-282
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• 2022

Sea surface temperature (SST) is a factor that greatly influences ocean circulation and ecosystems in the Earth system. As global warming causes changes in the SST near the Korean Peninsula, abnormal water temperature phenomena (high water temperature, low water temperature) occurs, causing continuous damage to the marine ecosystem and the fishery industry. Therefore, this study proposes a methodology to predict the SST near the Korean Peninsula and prevent damage by predicting abnormal water temperature phenomena. The study area was set near the Korean Peninsula, and ERA5 data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) was used to utilize SST data at the same time period. As a research method, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm specialized for time series data prediction among deep learning models was used in consideration of the time series characteristics of SST data. The prediction model predicts the SST near the Korean Peninsula after 1- to 7-days and predicts the high water temperature or low water temperature phenomenon. To evaluate the accuracy of SST prediction, Coefficient of determination (R²), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) indicators were used. The summer (JAS) 1-day prediction result of the prediction model, R²=0.996, RMSE=0.119℃, MAPE=0.352% and the winter (JFM) 1-day prediction result is R²=0.999, RMSE=0.063℃, MAPE=0.646%. Using the predicted SST, the accuracy of abnormal sea surface temperature prediction was evaluated with an F1 Score (F1 Score=0.98 for high water temperature prediction in summer (2021/08/05), F1 Score=1.0 for low water temperature prediction in winter (2021/02/19)). As the prediction period increased, the prediction model showed a tendency to underestimate the SST, which also reduced the accuracy of the abnormal water temperature prediction. Therefore, it is judged that it is necessary to analyze the cause of underestimation of the predictive model in the future and study to improve the prediction accuracy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.155-173
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• 2022

Purpose: This study was undertaken to update the Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E), which reflects dietary quality and behavior among Korean older adults. Methods: The first 29 items of the measurable food behavior checklist were obtained from a previous NQ-E checklist, recent literature reviews, and national nutrition policies and recommendations. One-hundred subjects (50 men and 50 women) aged ≥ 65 years living in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, including Gyeonggi Province, completed a pilot survey from March to April 2021. Based on the results of the pilot study, we conducted factor analysis and frequency analysis to determine whether the items of the survey were properly organized and whether the distribution of answers for each evaluation item was properly distributed. As a result, we reduced the number of items on the food behavior checklist and used 23 items for the national survey. Nationwide, 1,000 subjects (472 men and 528 women) aged > 65 years, completed the checklist survey, which was applied using a face-to-face survey method from May to August 2021. The construct validity of the NQ-E 2021 was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, LISREL. Results: Seventeen food behavior checklist items were selected for the final NQ-E 2021. Checklist items addressed three factors: balance (8 items), moderation (2 items), and practice (7 items). Standardized path coefficients were used as the weights of items to determine nutrition quotients. NQ-E and three-factor scores were calculated according to the weights of questionnaire items. Conclusion: The updated NQ-E 2021 produced by structural equation modelling provides a suitable tool for assessing the dietary quality and behavior of Korean older adults.