• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2024

Objectives: This study investigated the impact of socioeconomic factors and sexual orientation-related attributes on the rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and infection among men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: A web-based survey, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, was conducted among paying members of the leading online portal for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) community in Korea. The study participants were MSM living in Korea (n=942). COVID-19 vaccination and infection were considered dependent variables, while sexual orientation-related characteristics and adherence to non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) practices served as primary independent variables. To ensure analytical precision, nested logistic regression analyses were employed. These were further refined by dividing respondents into 4 categories based on sexual orientation and disclosure (or "coming-out") status. Results: Among MSM, no definitive association was found between COVID-19 vaccination status and factors such as socioeconomic or sexual orientation-related attributes (with the latter including human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] status, sexual orientation, and disclosure experience). However, key determinants influencing COVID-19 infection were identified. Notably, people living with HIV (PLWH) exhibited a statistically significant predisposition towards COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, greater adherence to NPI practices among MSM corresponded to a lower likelihood of COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: This study underscores the high susceptibility to COVID-19 among PLWH within the LGBTQ+ community relative to their healthy MSM counterparts. Consequently, it is crucial to advocate for tailored preventive strategies, including robust NPIs, to protect these at-risk groups. Such measures are essential in reducing the disparities that may emerge in a post-COVID-19 environment.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.87-113
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• 2023

Purpose - Focusing on Haier, a successful corporate venture in China, we analyse the operating mechanism and success factors of corporate venture, and reveal the necessary factors for the successful implementation of corporate venture. Design/methodology/approach - This study is a single case study centred on Haier, a successful corporate venture in China. Findings - The operational process of Haier's corporate venture includes six key aspects: project selection, team building, resource allocation and support, project implementation, risk control measures, performance evaluation and rewards. In terms of success factors, the support of top management with leadership capability of value creation and sharing is very important for the success of corporate venture. Secondly, a multi reward mechanism can be introduced to motivate employees and improve performance. Thirdly, it is important to integrate corporate culture into the operating mechanism of an corporate venture. Fourthly, flexible operations that break down rigid organisational boundaries and transform the organisation into a more open platform for entrepreneurship can increase the likelihood of success. Finally, empowering employees with operational discretion can also have a positive impact on the success of an Corporate Venture. Research implications or Originality - This study contributes to theory and practice by analysing the success conditions of corporate venture, providing new understanding and drawing new perspectives, especially from the experience of Haier. The results suggest strategies and flexibility for successfully pursuing corporate venture, and provide important experience for international companies to help them gain competitive advantage in global competition. It also helps corporate leaders to promote new directions and innovations and improve their strategies to respond to dynamic environments.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2011

Objectives: This study aimed to identify factors associated with smoking relapse. Methods: The study sample was recruited among subjects who were enrolled in the smoking cessation clinic of a public health center and had succeeded in quitting smoking for at least six months. A total of 159 male subjects were followed via mail survey one year later. The independent variables in the analyses were socio-demographic characteristics, smoking history and behavior, receipt of smoking cessation aids, health behaviors and components of the health belief model (HBM). The dependent variable was smoking relapse assessed one year after quitting. Ordered logit regressions were used to identify factors associated with smoking relapse. Results: The relapse rate of the ex-smokers in our sample was 25.8%, and the occasional smoking rate was 17.0%. Univariate analyses revealed that only factors related to the HBM, such as perceived susceptibility to diseases (p<0.01), perceived severity of diseases (p<0.01), perceived health benefits of not smoking (p<0.01), perceived barriers to quitting smoking due to increasing stress and difficulty in social life (p<0.01), and self-efficacy (p<0.01) were associated with the likelihood of relapse for ex-smokers. Ordered logit analyses yielded two significant factors affecting the likelihood of relapse, the perceived barriers to quitting smoking and self-efficacy. Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher levels of barriers to quitting smoking and lower levels of self-efficacy were significantly related to risk of smoking relapse. These findings may be useful for identifying those at highest risk for relapse and choosing the optimal strategies for prevention of relapse for ex-smokers.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.403-417
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• 2014

Increased frequency of climate extremes is another face of climate change confronted by humans, resulting in catastrophic losses in agriculture. While climate extremes take place on many scales, impacts are experienced locally and mitigation tools are a function of local conditions. To address this, agrometeorological early warning systems must be place and location based, incorporating the climate, crop and land attributes at the appropriate scale. Existing services often lack site-specific information on adverse weather and countermeasures relevant to farming activities. Warnings on chronic long term effects of adverse weather or combined effects of two or more weather elements are seldom provided, either. This lecture discusses a field-specific early warning system implemented on a catchment scale agrometeorological service, by which volunteer farmers are provided with face-to-face disaster warnings along with relevant countermeasures. The products are based on core techniques such as scaling down of weather information to a field level and the crop specific risk assessment. Likelihood of a disaster is evaluated by the relative position of current risk on the standardized normal distribution from climatological normal year prepared for 840 catchments in South Korea. A validation study has begun with a 4-year plan for implementing an operational service in Seomjin River Basin, which accommodates over 60,000 farms and orchards. Diverse experiences obtained through this study will certainly be useful in planning and developing the nation-wide disaster early warning system for agricultural sector.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.344-351
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• 2015

Purpose: During the recent decades, the age at menarche continued to decline in Korea and worldwide. Prior studies have suggested that early menarche may increase the risk of various social, psychological, and physical health problems in young adolescent girls, but little is known about the determinants associated with early menarche. The purpose of this study is to evaluate independent determinants of early menarche among 5th~6th female graders in South Korea. Methods: Our analysis was conducted in 95 menarcheal girls and 95 age-matched pre-menarcheal girls residing in Daegu, South Korea. Demographic and lifestyle characteristics were collected using survey questionnaires for children and parents. Dietary information was assessed by 2 day~24 hour food records and survey questionnaires, which were completed by both children and their parents. Anthropometric data were obtained from the student health check-ups at the school. Results: A multiple logistic regression analysis using a conditional likelihood method was performed for simultaneous evaluation of several risk factors. There were significant differences in that higher proportion of obesity (OR, odds ratio = 5.60, 95% CI, confidence interval = 1.34~23.42), shorter sleep duration (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.23~0.87), and younger mother's age at menarche (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44~0.93) were observed in the menarcheal group compared to the pre-menarcheal group. Conclusion: These findings indicate a possible association of sleep duration, mother's menarcheal age, and obesity with age at menarche. A well-planned, prospective cohort study is warranted to examine causal relationship.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.193-205
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• 1999

This study was carried out to identify the important risk factors for reduced bone mass of postmenopausal RA patients and to develop discriminant function which can classify postmenopausal RA patients with either reduced or normal bone mass. Through the literature review, individual characteristics such as age, body weight, height, age of menarche, duration of menopause, gravity, parity, and breast feeding period and factors of life style such as milk consumption exercise habit, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, coffee consumpt ion , disease activity, corticosteroid therapy were identified as influencing factors of reduced bone mass in RA patients Sixty eight postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis aged between 42 and 76 were selected among those who checked bone mineral density in lumbar spine and femur from october, 1998 to Apr il, 1999 at Dong-a university hospital in Pusan. Assessment of disease activity, duration of disease and corticosteroid therapy were made by the same rheumatologist and included Ritchie articular index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein on measuring bone mineral density. Cumulative steroid dosage was calculated from the daily dosage multiplied by t h e number of days received. The information of other risk factor including health assessment score, individual characteristics and life style factors were collected by questionnaire. Bone mineral density(BMD) was measured using DXA at lumbar spine and femoral Ward's triangle. Discriminant function(regression equation) was developed for estimating the likelihood of the presence or absence of reduced bone mass. The results are as follows: Among the subjects, thirteen(19.1%) exhibited osteoporosis in lumbar spine and twenty four(35.3%) exhibited osteoporosis in femoral Ward's triangle. For lumbar spine, the variables significant were age, body weight, health assessment score, while for femoral Ward's triangle, age, body weight, duration of disease. But disease activity and corticosteroid therapy were not signigicant to distinguish reduced bone mass from normal bone mass. When the discriminant function was evaluated by comparing the observed out come with predicted out come, the discriminant function correctly classified 85.4% of patients with reduce bone mass and 63.0% of patients with normal bone mass in the lumbar spine and 100% of patients with reduced bone mass and 9.1% of patients with normal bone mass in the femoral Ward's triangle. In summary, we found that osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with RA is more evident at the femur than the lumbar spine. Also the important discriminant factors of reduced bone mass postmenopausal women with RA were age, body weight , duration of disease and health disability. In nursing situation, the efforts to improve of functional capacity of postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis should be considered to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Also we recommend those postmenopausal women with RA who are classified as a group of the reduced bone mass in the discriminant function should examine the bone mineral density to further examine the usefulness of this discriminant function.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.71-80
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• 2016

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify sexual experiences and associated factors among middle and high school students in Korea. Methods: Data were analyzed from 74,186 participants who completed the 2012 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the condition of sexual behavior, and a complex sample logistic regression was used to examine the factors related to sexual behavior. Results: Data showed that 4.3% of adolescents had engaged in sexual intercourse (5.9% of males and 2.6% of females). According to the logistic regression analysis for complex samples, the school level, socioeconomic status, experience of part time work, and living with parents, were all factors associated with the decision to engage in sexual intercourse among boys and girls. In particular, sex education in schools was associated with a reduced risk of sexual intercourse. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the importance of developing a program that focuses on enhancing sex education and promoting refusal and better decision-making skills in order to effectively reduce the likelihood of sexual experience among adolescents in Korea.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.101-107
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• 2011

This study aimed to determine dose-response (DR) curve of avian influenza (AI) virus to predict the probability of illness or adverse health effects that may result from exposure to a pathogenic microorganism in a quantitative microbial risk assessment. To determine the parametric DR relationship of several strains of AI virus, 7 feeding trial data sets challenging humans (5 sets) and chickens (2 sets) for strains of H3N2 (4 sets), H5N1 (2 sets) and H1N1 (1 set) from the published literatures. Except for one data set (study with intra-tracheal inoculation for data set no. 6), all were obtained from the studies with intranasal inoculation. The data were analyzed using three types of DR model as the basis of heterogeneity in infectivity of AI strains in humans and chickens: exponential, beta-binomial and beta-Poisson. We fitted to the data using maximum likelihood estimation to get the parameter estimates of each model. The alpha and beta values of the beta-Poisson DR model ranged 0.06-0.19 and 1.7-48.8, respectively for H3N2 strain. Corresponding values for H5N1 ranged 0.464-0.563 and 97.3-99.4, respectively. For H1N1 the parameter values were 0.103 and 12.7, respectively. Using the exponential model, r (infectivity parameter) ranged from $1.6{\times}10^{-8}$ to $1.2{\times}10^{-5}$ for H3N2 and from $7.5{\times}10^{-3}$ to $4.0{\times}10^{-2}$ for H5N1, while the value was $1.6{\times}10^{-8}$ for H1N1. The beta-Poisson DR model provided the best fit to five of 7 data sets tested, and the estimated parameter values in betabinomial model were very close to those of beta-Poisson. Our study indicated that beta-binomial or beta-Poisson model could be the choice for DR modeling of AI, even though DR relationship varied depending on the virus strains studied, as indicated in prior studies. Further DR modeling should be conducted to quantify the differences among AI virus strains.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6783-6787
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• 2015

Background: Despite consistent pharmacogenetic effects of CYP2D6 on tamoxifen exposure, there is considerable controversy regarding the validity of CYP2D6 as a predictor of tamoxifen outcome. Understanding the current state of evidence in this area and its limitations is important for the care of patients who require endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 101 patients with breast cancer who received tamoxifen therapy for at least 3 years, were genotyped for common alleles of the CYP2D6 gene by nested-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR. Patients were classified as extensive or poor metabolizers (PM) based on CYP2D6*4 alleles in 3 different groups according to the menopause, Her2-neu status, and stage 3. Results: The mean age of the patients with the disease recurrence was $50.8{\pm}6.4$ and in non recurrent patients was $48.2{\pm}6.8$. In this study 63.3% (n=64) patients were extensive metabolizers and 36.6% (n=37) were poor metabolizers. Sixty four of the 101 patients (63.3%) were Her2-neu positive. For tamoxifen-treated patients, no statistically significant difference in rate of recurrence observed between CYP2D6 metabolic variants in stage 3 and post-menopausal patients. However, there was a significant association between CYP2D6 genotype and recurrence in tamoxifen-treated Her2-neu positive patients. Compared with other women with breast cancer, those with Her2-neu positive breast cancer and extensive metabolizer alleles had a decreased likelihood of recurrence. Conclusions: This study for the first time demonstrated significant effects of CYP2D6 extensive metabolizer alleles on risk of recurrence in Her2-neu positive breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. Therefore, CYP2D6 metabolism, as measured by genetic variation, can be a predictor of breast cancer outcome in Her2-neu positive women receiving tamoxifen.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 2016

Rainfall-induced landslide disaster case histories are typically required to establish critical lines based on the decrease coefficient for judging the likelihood of slope collapse or failure; however, reliably setting critical lines is difficult because the number of nationwide disaster case histories is insufficient and not well distributed across the region. In this study, we propose a method for setting the critical area to judge the risk of slope collapse without disaster case history information. Past 10 years rainfall data based on decrease coefficient are plotted as points, and a reference line is established by connecting the outermost points. When realtime working rainfall cross the reference line, warning system is operating and this system can be utilized nationwide through setting of reference line for each AWS (Automatic Weather Station). Warnings were effectively predicted at 10 of the sites, and warnings could have been issued 30 min prior to the landslide movement at eight of the sites. These results indicate a reliability of about 67%. To more fully utilize this model, it is necessary to establish nationwide rainfall databases and conduct further studies to develop regional critical areas for landslide disaster prevention.