• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2022

As a series of basic research to draw the pilot design measures for developing the habitat apparatus of Sulculus diversicolor supertexta inhabiting the coastal area of Jeju island, this study conducted a water tank experiment to understand the habitat marine environment of Sulculus diversicolor supertexta and the preference of habitat space focusing on the research fisheries performing the discharge of marine products. In the composition degree of marine algae in both fisheries, Donggwi-ri showed the highest gulfweed (79.3%) as brown algae and there were some coralline algae (17.2%) as red algae. Hansu-ri yielded the highest gulfweed (48.1%) as brown algae, which was followed by sea lettuce (10.4%) as green algae. In the preference of habitat space, the shelter angles 40° showed the highest adhesion as number of 82.9, which was followed by 60° and 70° as 69.2 and 68.2 respectively (P<0.05) by reviewing the environmental characteristics of habit of Salculus diversicolor supertexta in the coastal fishery of Jeju Island, when considering the adhesion rate in each of five shelters with different angles. In the future, there should be continuous research and monitoring for designing the fish shelters suitable for the coastal fisheries of Jeju island, and it would be also necessary to add the field-centered sustainable concrete research.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.91-103
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• 2023

As one of the most common mood disorders, numerous studies have shown depression is the main risk factor for non-suicidal self-harm. The pathogenesis of depression is complex, and a comprehensive and rapid measurement of monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites will be very helpful in understanding the pathogenesis of depression. Therefore, a rapid and sensitive underivatized liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous monitoring of the levels of ten neurotransmitters and their metabolites in rat serum and limbic system and successfully applied to quantify the changes of neurotransmitter levels in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rats. The analytes studied were mainly involved in tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and glutamate cycling pathways, which are important in the pathogenesis of depression. It had been verified the method was sensitive and effective, with satisfactory linearity, and met the requirements of biological sample determination. Levels of neurotransmitters in rat serum, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, striatum, and hypothalamus were determined via the method. The results showed serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and their metabolites were decreased, glutamine was increased, and glutamate was disturbed in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression rats. This method provides a new approach to studying the pathogenesis of depression and other neurological disorders.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1238-1254
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Weight loss via a mobile application (App) or a paper-based diary (Paper) may confer favorable metabolic and anthropometric changes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A randomized parallel trial was conducted among 57 adults whose body mass indices (BMIs) were 25 kg/m² or greater. Participants randomly assigned to either the App group (n = 30) or the Paper group (n = 27) were advised to record their foods and supplements through App or Paper during the 12-week intervention period. Relative changes of anthropometries and biomarker levels were compared between the 2 intervention groups. Untargeted metabolic profiling was identified to discriminate metabolic profiles. RESULTS: Out of the 57 participants, 54 participants completed the trial. Changes in body weight and BMI were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = 0.11). However, body fat and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels increased in the App group but decreased in the Paper group, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.03 for body fat and 0.02 for LDL-cholesterol). In the metabolomics analysis, decreases in methylglyoxal and (S)-malate in pyruvate metabolism and phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) in linoleic acid metabolism from pre- to post-intervention were observed in the Paper group. CONCLUSIONS: In the 12-week randomized parallel trial of weight loss through a App or a Paper, we found no significant difference in change in BMI or weight between the App and Paper groups, but improvement in body fatness and LDL-cholesterol levels only in the Paper group under the circumstances with minimal contact by dietitians or health care providers.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.42-52
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors affecting compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) use among medical device reprocessing staff. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 163 cleaning staff members from ten general hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires administered between July and September 2023. Analysis included t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Bonferroni correction, and multiple regression, conducted using SAS ver.9.4. Results: Statistically significant differences in compliance with PPE were found based on department and exposure to contamination within six months (t=-2.82, p=.007). Attitudes toward PPE (r=.22, p=.006) and awareness of the safety climate (r=.22, p=.006) showed a statistically significant positive correlation with PPE compliance. Factors influencing use of personal protective equipment by cleaning staff during medical device reprocessing were department, compliance with PPE, and awareness of the safety climate. The explanatory power of these factors was 58.0%. Conclusion: Improving PPE compliance and creating a safe cleaning environment entails fostering a supportive safety climate. Additionally, regular training that takes into consideration the characteristics of the cleaning staff, alongside continuous monitoring, is required.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.32-40
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• 2024

Objectives The main aim was to quantify forward head posture using POM Checker®, a postural balance analyzer, among elementary school students. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate whether postural imbalance improved following three sessions of the school doctor program focused on body posture correction. Methods The program was conducted as part of the school doctor program in Korean Medicine, featuring lectures by a designated Korean Medicine doctor at an elementary school. The curriculum covered the importance of maintaining correct posture and included posture correction exercises. Pre- and post-program self-reported surveys were administered, alongside postural measurements taken over three months at one-month intervals. The survey included data on gender, grade, lifestyle habits, and awareness of correct posture. Result Out of 73 participating students, 63 underwent body balance measurements from the upper grades of one elementary school. Survey results revealed significant variations in daily sitting hours and weekly exercise levels. Attendance at lectures increased knowledge about correct posture. Initial measurements of forward head posture categorized 41.0% and 1.6% of participants into caution and risk groups, respectively. After the second measurement, the caution group representation decreased to 3.2%, and by the third measurement, only 1.6% of participants remained in the caution group. Conclusions Improvements in the angle and understanding of forward head posture among elementary school students were observed before and after the Korean Medicine school doctor program. However, posture improvement may be temporary, necessitating consistent follow-up management and monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.140-151
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• 2024

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an obesity program developed to solve 'obesity', which was selected as the top priority for urgent improvement among the dietary problems of elementary school students in Busan. The program aimed to practice four health rules every day (sleep early, eat two vegetables with each meal, reduce sugary snacks, and exercise for 30 minutes every day). The participants were trained to practice the four rules online in real time every day for three weeks, and their performance in nutrition education tasks was monitored using Padlet. The anthropometric measurements showed no change in the overall average weight before and after participating in the program, but all students grew in height (z=-6.978, P<0.001), and the number of obese students decreased significantly (z=-3.317, P<0.001). This obesity program was effective in improving height growth and obesity in elementary school students. In terms of dietary changes, after participating in the program, the frequency of vegetable consumption increased significantly (z=-4.849, P<0.001), the frequency of sweet snack consumption decreased significantly (z=-4.298, P<0.001), and the bedtime improved (z=-1.000). Therefore, the non-face-to-face, self-directed obesity program developed in this study is expected to reduce the workload of nutrition teachers carrying a heavy workload such as meal service and nutrition classes, and can be used as an efficient nutrition counseling program.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.127-134
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• 2024

The acute respiratory infection known as a coronavirus (COVID-19) may present with a wide range of clinical manifestations, ranging from no symptoms at all to severe pneumonia and even death. Expert medical systems, particularly those used in the diagnostic and monitoring phases of treatment, have the potential to provide beneficial results in the fight against COVID-19. The significance of healthcare mobile technologies, as well as the advantages they provide, are quickly growing, particularly when such applications are linked to the internet of things. This research work presents a knowledge-based smart system for the primary diagnosis of COVID-19. The system uses symptoms that manifest in the patient to make an educated guess about the severity of the COVID-19 infection. The proposed inference system can assist individuals in self-diagnosing their conditions and can also assist medical professionals in identifying the ailment. The system is designed to be user-friendly and easy to use, with the goal of increasing the speed and accuracy of COVID-19 diagnosis. With the current global pandemic, early identification of COVID-19 is essential to regulate and break the cycle of transmission of the disease. The results of this research demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using a knowledge-based smart system for COVID-19 diagnosis, and the system has the potential to improve the overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, these sorts of knowledge-based smart technologies have the potential to be useful in preventing the deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.992-997
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• 2008

Purpose : Hypertension (HTN) is no longer an exclusively adult disease; the prevalence of pediatric HTN is increasing. To understand the evaluation and treatment of childhood HTN in Korea, we investigated, via a questionnaire, how hypertensive children are currently assessed and managed by pediatric cardiologists (CA) and nephrologists (NE). Methods : We surveyed 82 pediatric CA and 77 NE, regarding how they manage hypertensive children in Korea. Results : A total 75 replies were received to our questionnaire request (response rate: 47.15%). Routine blood pressure (BP) checks were more frequently performed by NE (CA: 5.7%, NE: 25%, P=0.03), but most respondents (86%) did not check BP routinely. Mercury sphygmomanometers were the most commonly used devices and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was not frequently used. The goal BP in treated patients was set at the 95th percentile by 61% of respondents. NE used a lower BP goal in hypertensive children with renal disease (CA: 24%, NE: 64%, P=0.004) or DM (CA: 12.5%, NE: 50%, P=0.003). Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were the most commonly used agents (mean: 59%); following ACE inhibitors, CA preferred diuretics for hypertensive children with renal disease or cardiovascular disease, and NE preferred calcium channel blockers, regardless of underlying disease. Self-monitoring was the most frequent method for BP monitoring at home. Conclusion : In Korea, BP measurement is not yet a routine examination in treating hypertension. There are some differences in management strategies vis-$\grave{a}$-vis hypertension, between pediatric cardiologists and nephrologists. For the appropriate management and prevention of secondary disease in long-term studies, standard guidelines and education are needed for pediatricians.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2009

Purpose : This study proposes the keyhole method in order to improve the time resolution of the proton resonance frequency(PRF) MR temperature monitoring technique. The values of Root Mean Square (RMS) error of measured temperature value and Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR) obtained from the keyhole and full phase encoded temperature images were compared. Materials and Methods : The PRF method combined with GRE sequence was used to get MR temperature images using a clinical 1.5T MR scanner. It was conducted on the tissue-mimic 2% agarose gel phantom and swine's hock tissue. A MR compatible coaxial slot antenna driven by microwave power generator at 2.45GHz was used to heat the object in the magnetic bore for 5 minutes followed by a sequential acquisition of MR raw data during 10 minutes of cooling period. The acquired raw data were transferred to PC after then the keyhole images were reconstructed by taking the central part of K-space data with 128, 64, 32 and 16 phase encoding lines while the remaining peripheral parts were taken from the 1st reference raw data. The RMS errors were compared with the 256 full encoded self-reference temperature image while the SNR values were compared with the zero filling images. Results : As phase encoding number at the center part on the keyhole temperature images decreased to 128, 64, 32 and 16, the RMS errors of the measured temperature increased to 0.538, 0.712, 0.768 and 0.845$^{\circ}C$, meanwhile SNR values were maintained as the phase encoding number of keyhole part is reduced. Conclusion : This study shows that the keyhole technique is successfully applied to temperature monitoring procedure to increases the temporal resolution by standardizing the matrix size, thus maintained the SNR values. In future, it is expected to implement the MR real time thermal imaging using keyhole method which is able to reduce the scan time with minimal thermal variations.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.131-141
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• 2008

Purpose : To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of Proton Resonance Frequency (PRF) shift based magnetic resonance (MR) temperature mapping utilizing the self-developed center array-sequencing phase unwrapping (PU) method for non-invasive temperature monitoring. Materials and Methods : The computer simulation was done on the PU algorithm for performance evaluation before further application to MR thermometry. The MR experiments were conducted in two approaches namely PU experiment, and temperature mapping experiment based on the PU technique with all the image postprocessing implemented in MATLAB. A 1.5T MR scanner employing a knee coil with $T2^*$ GRE (Gradient Recalled Echo) pulse sequence were used throughout the experiments. Various subjects such as water phantom, orange, and agarose gel phantom were used for the assessment of the self-developed PU algorithm. The MR temperature mapping experiment was initially attempted on the agarose gel phantom only with the application of a custom-made thermoregulating water pump as the heating source. Heat was generated to the phantom via hot water circulation whilst temperature variation was observed with T-type thermocouple. The PU program was implemented on the reconstructed wrapped phase images prior to map the temperature distribution of subjects. As the temperature change is directly proportional to the phase difference map, the absolute temperature could be estimated from the summation of the computed temperature difference with the measured ambient temperature of subjects. Results : The PU technique successfully recovered and removed the phase wrapping artifacts on MR phase images with various subjects by producing a smooth and continuous phase map thus producing a more reliable temperature map. Conclusion : This work presented a rapid, and robust self-developed center array-sequencing PU algorithm feasible for the application of MR temperature mapping according to the PRF phase shift property.