• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2001

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is common and may produce various symptoms and serious complications. A substantial number of research articles on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome have been published in Korea. However, we found such limitations as lack of sufficient sample size and lack of polysomnography-proven cases. Therefore, we aimed at studying clinical features and sleep structure in a sufficient number of Korean patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome diagnostically confirmed with polysomnography. Methods: We studied 801 subjects referred to the Division of Sleep Studies, Seoul National University Hospital, who were diagnosed as having obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with polysomnography. Subjects were excluded if they had central sleep apnea syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy or REM sleep behavior disorder. Foreign patients were also excluded. First of all, we studied the clinical features of the subjects. Secondly, we compared sleep-related parameters of the study subjects with those of age/sex-matched normal values. Thirdly, correlations of respiratory disturbance index (RDI) with each of the sleep-related parameters were calculated. Results: Among the 801 subjects, 668 were male subjects (83.4%) and 133 female subjects (16.4%). Their mean age was 46.6 years (${\pm}13.5$). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.8 (${\pm}3.8$) and subjects with BMI was over 28.0 accounted for 22.8% of the total. Fifty subjects (6.2%) were found to take benzodiazepines. Mean RDI and mean nocturnal oxygen saturation of all subjects was 31.2 (${\pm}24.4$) and 94.5% (${\pm}3.6$), respectively. In comparison with normal values, the subjects showed longer sleep latency, lower sleep efficiency, decreased total slow wave sleep % (TSWS %), and decreased total REM sleep % (TREM %)(p<0.01 in all). RDI had a negative correlation with each TSWS % and TREM % (p<0.01, p<0.01). However, RDI did not have significant correlation with either sleep latency or sleep efficiency. Conclusion: In this study, 6.2% of patients diagnosed as having obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were found to take benzodiazepines, although they are generally considered to be of litte benefit or even dangerous because of the respiratory suppressing effect. The proportion of obese subjects was only 22.8% and Korean patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome seem to be less obese than those described in foreign journals. This study also suggests that the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may have a more significant effect on sleep architecture defined as TSWS % and TREM % than on sleep efficiency.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.3 s.27
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• pp.368-379
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• 1989

The relationship between mercury level of hair and mental retardation was investigated. The 297 subjects with mental retardation were drawn from two schools providing special educational services, one, consisted of children living in an orphan home, another, children with parents. The 117 centre] subjects were drawn from whom had got average or above average academic achivement in a regular elementary school. Hair sample were taken from the nape of the neck and the mercury analysis was carried out on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer(IL 551). There was no relationship between mercury contents and age, and there was a statistically significant difference in mercury contents between male and female in the mentally retarded children living with parents. Children in the retarded group had significantly higher mercury contents compared with control group except the female group with parents. Also, the mercury levels in the retarded group living in an orphan home were significantly higher than that of the retarded group with parents. The concomitant diseases were Down's syndrome, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism. There were statistically significant differences in hair mercury levels in the cases of accompanying Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy in male and Down's syndrome and autism in female compared with the control group of the same sex. The most accompanying handicap was speech disturbance(40.7%) and the others were crippled, emotional disturbance etc. The percentages of double handicap were 66.7% among 6 persons exceeding 6ppm of their hair mercury contents. 10.4% among $3{\sim}6$ ppm and 15.7% among the group of 3ppm or less. The findings of this study suggest that the more opportunities of exposure to mercury in mentally retarded children may have occurred, so it can not be excluded the possibility of mercury as a contributing factor to mental retardation. Therefore, the causal relationship between mercury levels and mental retardation should be established through the examinations about their living environments, dietary pattern, eating habit etc.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.40-50
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• 2024

Pine forests are continuously declining due to competition with broadleaf trees, such as oaks, as a consequence of changes in the natural dynamics of forest ecosystem. This natural decline creates a risk of losing the various benefits pine trees have provided to people in the past. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare future forest management directions by considering the state of pine tree decline in each region. The goal of this study is to understand the characteristics of pine forest changes according to forest dynamics and to predict future regional changes. For this purpose, we evaluated the trend of change in pine forests and extracted various variables(topography, forest stand type, disturbance, and climate) that affect the change, using time-series National Forest Inventory (NFI) data. Also, using selected key variables, a model was developed to predict future changes in pine forests. As a results, it showed that the importance of pine trees in forests across the country has decreased overall over the past 10 years. Also, 75% of the sample points representing pine trees remained unchanged, while the remaining 25% had changed to mixed forests. It was found that these changes mainly occurred in areas with good moisture conditions or disturbance factors inside and outside the forest. In the next 10 years, approximately 14.2% of current pine forests was predicted to convert to mixed forests due to changes in natural forest dynamics. Regionally, the rate of pine forest change was highest in Jeju(42.8%) and Gyeonggi(26.9%) and lowest in Gyeongbuk(8.8%) and Gangwon(13.8%). It was predicted that pine forests would be at a high risk of decline in western areas of the Korean Peninsula, including Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Jeonnam. This results can be used to make a management plan for pine forests throughout the country.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.613-624
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• 1997

A study of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was conducted on the Ordovician-Eocene strata in the Taebaek area. The study area is a northeastern part of the Okchon belt, sometimes called as Paegunsan Synclinal Area. A total of 600 independently oriented samples were collected from 60 sites covering the whole area. With a few exception of late Cretaceous-Eocene volcanic rocks, all the sampled strata are nonmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks, mainly sandstones. Among the 60 sites, 5 sites showed flow lineation lying on the bedding plane, 11 sites showed load foliation parallel to the bedding plane, and 21 sites showed tectonic foliation unrelated to the bedding plane. The tectonic foliations are defined by $k_1-k_2$ ($k_{max}-k_{int}$) anisotropy plane, and are considered as a result of tectonic forces acted perpendicularly to the foliation plane in the geologic past. Regardless of sample-site locations, tectonic force directions defined by $k_3$ ($k_{min}$) axis perpendicular to the tectonic foliation are consistent among the strata of the same geologic age. In the course of geologic time, however, the tectonic force directions showed a clockwise rotation: approximately E-W in the Ordovician sites, NW-SE in the Permian sites, N-S in the Triassic sites, and lastly NE-SW in the late Cretaceous-Eocene sites. The pre-Permian directions showed better clustering in the in-situ (geographic) coordinates, while the younger directions become better clustered after the bedding-tilt correction. It is interpreted that the major tectonic structures of the Taebaek area were controlled by the above-mentioned tectonic forces: The Paegunsan Syncline and the Hambaeksan Fault must have been generated by the NW-SE force of late Permian-early Triassic time. It was then reactivated in the reverse (dextral) sense by the N-S force of Triassic time. The Osipchon Fault in the eastern part of the study area was either generated or reactivated by the NE-SW force of late Cretaceous-Eocene time. The Permo-Triassic NW-SE force should be an expression of the Songnim Disturbance in the Korean peninsula, which is in turn related with the SCB/NCB collision in China.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.33-43
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• 2010

The physical characteristics of the marine clay in the Korean Peninsula, specifically Pusan areas of the south coast of Korea, were previously studied and reliable data from harbor construction projects were used for the relationship analysis of geotechnical strength parameters. The sample of marine clay classified to ML, MH, CL, CH and ML-CL from USCS were included for the analysis while the samples classified to SC were excluded in order to raise the degree of data analysis. Geotechnical strength properties, such as undrained shear strength, sensitivity ratio, and effective friction angle were analyzed and evaluated using the data obtained from unconfined compression test, triaxial compression test and field vane test. Abnormal values were extracted through statistical analysis. Moreover, the reliability of the results was improved by performing the evaluation of disturbance. Linear regression analysis was used for the relationship analysis, between undrained shear strength and depth. The relationship equation between undrained shear strength and depth was derived from the analysis of unconfined and triaxial compression test data of samples obtained at same location. Consequently, The relationship between depth and undrained shear strength is $S_u=0.015148D+0.04624$ and the undrained shear strength derived from the triaxial compression test was estimated to be about 1.26 of derived from the unconfined compression test.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.91-112
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• 2020

In Ethiopia, dry land vegetation including the fairly intact lowland and western escarpment woodlands occupy the largest vegetation resource of the country. These forests play a central role in environmental regulation and socio-economic assets, yet they received less scientific attention than the moist forests. This study evaluated the woody plant species composition, population structure and carbon sequestration potential of the A. senegal woodland across three distance gradients from the settlements. A total of 45 sample quadrants were laid along a systematically established nine parallel transect lines to collect vegetation and soil data across distance gradients from settlement. Mature tree dry biomass with DBH>2.5 cm was estimated using allometric equations. A total of 41 woody plant species that belong to 20 families were recorded and A. senegal was the dominant species with 56.4 IVI value. Woody plant species diversity, density and richness were significantly higher in the distant plots compared to the nearest plots to settlement (p<0.05). The cumulative DBH class distribution of all individuals had showed an interrupted inverted J-shape population pattern. There were 19 species without seedlings, 15 species without saplings and 14 species without both seedlings and saplings. A significant above ground carbon (5.3 to 12.7 ton ha^-1), root carbon (1.6 to 3.6 ton ha^-1), soil organic carbon (35.6 to 44.5 ton ha^-1), total carbon stock (42.5 to 60.7 ton ha^-1) and total carbon dioxide equivalent (157.7 to 222.8 ton ha^-1) was observed consistently with an increasing of distance from settlement (p<0.05). Distance from settlement had significant and positive correlation with species diversity and carbon stock at 0.64^⁎⁎ and 0.78^⁎⁎. Disturbance intensity may directly influence the variation of species composition, richness and density along the A. senegal woodland. The sustainability of the A. senegal woodland needs urgent protection, conservation and restoration.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.363-372
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• 2003

Supernumerary teeth are found frequently in the dental office causing many dental complications. They are one of the many dental abnormalities that may occur during tooth development. Inversely impacted supernumerary teeth in the midpalatal area are especially important clinically because they occur with high frequency and many complications. Though many previous clinical and radiographical studies exist, the sample numbers were small and the evaluation of shape, location, and effects to its surrounding tissue may not be accurate due to the solitary use of intraoral radiographs or panoramic radiographs. Among the patients who visited department of pediatric dentistry, yonsei dental hospital, from July, 1998 to June, 2002, those with inversely impacted supernumerary teeth took computerized tomography for a more accurate diagnosis. Their dental chart, panoramic radiograph and computerized tomography were evaluated for this study. The number, form, convexity, location, distance, and complications of inversely impacted supernumerary teeth in the midpalatal area were recorded. This study show that when the supernumerary teeth is tuberculated with a curved root and is in close proximity to the adjacent teeth, it causes complications such as eruption disturbance, rotation, displacement of adjacent teeth, and diastema. Such factors must be considered in making decisions for diagnosis and treatment.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2005

National groundwater monitoring stations have been managed throughout the country by Korea Water Resources Corporation (KOWACO) in order to monitor variations in quantity and quality of groundwater resources. A multi-sensor installed in each monitoring station well measures groundwater level, water temperature and electrical conductivity every six hours and the logged data are automatically transmitted to a host computer in KOWACO. Meanwhile despite regular station inspection and replacement of deteriorate or broken devices, abnormal values or outliers often occur due to intrinsic limitations of automatic monitoring and transmission. Thus prompt recognition and measures to these values are essentially required to reduce disturbance and missing period of the data. In this study, time and frequency of outlier occurrence were analyzed for the water level data obtained from national groundwater monitoring stations within the Han river basin in 2000. The analysis results indicated that the most prominent patterns of the outliers were rapid decline for water level, no variation for temperature and steep decline for electrical conductivity. This study provided a sample criterion for determining the outlier for each parameter.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 1993

To compare ecological succession stage between 1987 and 1992, this study was executed in Mt. Puk'an. 26 sample plots of 500$m^2$ were set up. The results were summarized as follows; 1. To analysis plant community structure, the classification by TWINSPAN and CCA, DCA and RA ordination were applied to the study area. That of Mt. Puk'an was divided 4 groups by altitude. The dividing groups are Robinia pseudo-acacia-Quercus spp. community, mixed forest community, Q. serrata community, and Q. mongolica community. The successional trends of tree species over 500m seem to be from Pinus densiflora to Q. mongolica and below 500m in altitude seem to be from Robinia pseudo-acacia through Quercus acutissima, Q. mongolica, Prunus sargentii, Sorbus alnifolia to Q. serrata in the canopy layer. In the case of understory and shrub layer, the successional trends to be from Corylus sieboldiana, Zanthoxylum schinifolium through Rhus trichocarpa, Rhododendron mucronulatum, Rh. schlippenbachii to Acer pseudo-sieboldianum. 2. In comparing successional trends with 1987', the advanced data was not obtained in 1992. It was postulated that succession is not progressed by human disturbance and air pollution.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.89-100
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• 1997

It is very improtant to evaluate the reliable nonlinear deformational characteristics of soils not only in the analysis of geotechnical structures under working stress conditions but also for the soil dynamic problems. Field testings such as crosshole and pressuremeter tests can be used to determine the modulus of soils under in-situ conditions, but it is not possible to determine the modulus over the entire strain amplitude range. Laboratory methods such as resonant column 1 torsional shear test can be used to determine the modulus over the whole strain amplitude range, but it is very difficult to obtain the representative undisturbed samples on the sixte. For the reliable evaluation of nonlinear deformation characteristics of soils on a typical site, small strain modulus obtained from field testy and nomalized modulus reduction curve determined by laboratory bests need to be combined. In this paper, laboratory and Held testy were performed at a sixte which consisted of granite wearthered residual boils to evaluate the nonlinear deformational characteristics of coils such as the effects of strain amplitude, loading frequency, confining pressure and sample disturbance. It has been shorn that when the effects of these factors are properly taken into account, the stiffness values evaluated by various field and labrotary tests are comparable to each other fairly well. Finally, the procedure to evaluate the nonlinear deformstional characteristics of the sixte was proposed.