• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.693-704
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• 2021

Objective : Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has been regarded as one of the standard treatments for acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion. Despite the wide use of stent retrievers for MT, arterial intimal damage caused when deployed stent is pulled has been a certain disadvantage. We hypothesized that statin could protect and stabilize vessel damage after endovascular MT using a stent retriever. In this animal study, we observed the protective effects of the statins towards MT-induced vessel wall injury. Methods : Twenty-eight carotid arteries of fourteen rabbits were used in the experiments with MT using stent retriever. We divided the rabbits into four groups as follows : group 1, negative control; group 2, positive control; group 3, statin before MT; and group 4, statin after MT. After MT procedures, we harvested the carotid arteries and performed histomorphological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results : In histomorphological analysis with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stain, significant intimal thickening (p<0.05) was observed in the positive control (group 2), compared to in the negative control (group 1). Intimal thickening was improved in the statin-administered groups (groups 3 and 4 vs. group 2, p<0.05). We also observed that statin administration after MT (group 4) resulted in a more effective decrease in intimal thickness than statin administration before MT (group 3) (p<0.05). We performed immunohistochemical analysis with the antibodies for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), cluster of differentiation (CD)11b, and CD163. In contrast to the negative control (group 1), the stained percentage areas of all immunological markers were markedly increased in the positive control (group 2) (p<0.05). Based on statin administration, the percentage area of TNF-α staining was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in group 3, compared to the positive control group (group 2). However, significant differences were not observed for CD11b and CD163 staining. In group 4, no significant differences were observed for TNF-α, CD11b, and CD163 staining (p≥0.05). The differences in the percentage areas of the different markers between the statin-administered groups (groups 3 and 4) were also not revealed. Conclusion : We presented that statin administration before and after MT exerted protective effects towards vessel wall injury. The efficacy of statins was greater post-administration than pre-administration. Thus, statin administration in routine prescriptions in the peri-procedural period is strongly advised.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

The Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongsangmando(BuUlGyeong) megacity aims to grow into the second metropolitan area by strengthening the growth and connectivity of the southeast region in Korea. In order to analyze the linkage between port logistics and regional economic development, this study focused on the economic community of BuUlGyeong. The findings are as follows. First, it was found that vessel entry and departure had a positive (+) significant effect on cargo volume. Second, the cargo volume was found to have a preemptive effect on the vessel entry and exit ports and the composite index. Third, the composite Index was found to have a significant positive (+) effect on cargo volume. From the results of the variance decomposition, it can be confirmed that the composite index has a weak impact on ship entry/exit and cargo volume. Based on the above findings, some policy implications are derived. First, regional governments in BuUlGyeong should provide incentives to revitalize the maritime economy such as the expansion of maritime port infrastructure and encouraging investment. Second, since an increase in cargo transport volume at major national ports linked to the BuUlGyeong region has a positive (+) effect on economy. Therefore it is necessary to expand actively port marketing and regular service for the country and ports. Third, investments should be made continuously to expand the marine port infrastructure such as the expansion of facilities so that global shipping companies can continue to call megacities in BuUlGyeong ports for super-large ships and cruises.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.113-127
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• 2023

Background: Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) may aid in understanding the link between painmodulating brain regions and the descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) in fibromyalgia (FM). This study investigated whether the differences in rs-FC of the primary somatosensory cortex in responders and non-responders to the conditioned pain modulation test (CPM-test) are related to pain, sleep quality, central sensitization, and the impact of FM on quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 33 females with FM. rs-FC was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Change in the numerical pain scale during the CPM-test assessed the DPMS function. Subjects were classified either as non-responders (i.e., DPMS dysfunction, n = 13) or responders (n = 20) to CPM-test. A generalized linear model (GLM) and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to check the accuracy of the rs-FC to differentiate each group. Results: Non-responders showed a decreased rs-FC between the left somatosensory cortex (S1) and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) (P < 0.001). The GLM analysis revealed that the S1-PAG rs-FC in the left-brain hemisphere was positively correlated with a central sensitization symptom and negatively correlated with sleep quality and pain scores. ROC curve analysis showed that left S1-PAG rs-FC offers a sensitivity and specificity of 85% or higher (area under the curve, 0.78, 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.94) to discriminate who does/does not respond to the CPM-test. Conclusions: These results support using the rs-FC patterns in the left S1-PAG as a marker for predicting CPM-test response, which may aid in treatment individualization in FM patients.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.251-273
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• 2022

Metaverse is one of the most frequently used words recently, with digitalization accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2019 and the development of information and communication technology. It is expected to bring a new revolution in our life as a whole in user experience. In particular, as telecommuting was adopted in the business area, interest in virtual office services such as digital video conferencing and remote offices, which are similar to the metaverse, has also increased. In this study, a study on the intention to use the metaverse service used in the work environment was applied to the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2(UTAUT2). External variables for metaverse characteristics, such as self-presentation, telepresence, and technostress, were analyzed and discussed. In this study, PC-based Gather.town and VR-based Facebook Horizon, currently the most well-known and considered usable in work environments, were introduced to potential users and conducted a survey. This study has academic implications in that the research has examined the factors that affect the technology acceptance intention of users who want to apply the metaverse as a work environment based on the UTAUT2 model, unlike previous studies that have been mainly researched on the general metaverse. In practice, it may be helpful to suggest factors that should be considered when firms adopt the metaverse for business purposes.

• Design Convergence Study
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1-16
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• 2017

As the local manufacturing industry has entered a phase of stagnation, service and product design based on user experience has been highlighted as an alternative for the innovation. However, SMEs(Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) are still struggling to overcome the current crisis. One of the reasons is that SMEs do not have enough contact points with the validated UX firms and experts. Thus, SMEs has a high barrier to invest in new opportunity area, user experience. In this study, we aim to figure out UX experts' competence to perform the UX method to solve the UX problems based on the KSA framework(Knowledge, Skill, Attitude). Based on the literature review and expert workshop, we grouped the UX method according to the similarity of the competence required to conduct the method. With cluster analysis, 5 different groups of UX method were defined based on the competence, Panoramic Analysis, Meticulous Observation and Analysis, Intuitive Interpretation, Agile Visualization, and Logical Inspection. The results would be applied to compose a portfolio of UX experts and to implement a mechanism that could recommend the professional experts to the company.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.70-83
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• 2023

Recently, the Korea Forest Service has implemented a planning project about wind corridor forests as a response measure to climate change. Based on this, research on wind corridors has been underway. For the creation of wind corridor forests, a preliminary evaluation of the wind corridor function is necessary. However, currently, there is no evaluation index to directly evaluate and spatially distinguish the types of wind corridors, and analysis is being performed based on indirect indicators. Therefore, this study proposed a method to evaluate and classify wind corridors by utilizing heat deficit analysis as an evaluation index for cold air generation. Heat deficit was analyzed using a cold air analysis model called Kaltluftabflussmodell_21 (KLAM_21). According to the results of the simulation analysis, the wind path was functionally classified. The top 5% were classified as cold-air generating Areas (CGA), and the bottom 5% as cold-air vulnerable Areas (CVA). In addition, the cold-air flowing Areas (CFA) were classified by identifying the flow of cold air moving from the cold air generation area. It is expected that the methodology of this study can be utilized as an evaluation method for the effectiveness of wind corridors. It is also anticipated to be used as an evaluation index to be presented in the selection of wind corridor forest sites.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.102-110
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• 2023

PSC-I girder bridges constitute the largest proportion among highway bridges in Korea. According to the precision safety diagnosis data for the past 10 years, approximately 41.3% of the PSC-I bridges have been graded as C. Furthermore, with the increase in the aging of bridges, preemptive management is becoming more important. Damage and deterioration to the deck and girder with a long replacement cylce can have considerable impacts on the service and deterioration of a bridge. In addition, the high rate of device damages, including expansion joints and bearings, necessitates an investigation into the influence of the device damage in the structural members of the bridge. Therefore, this study defined representative PSC-I girder bridges with single and multiple spans to evaluate heterogeneous damages that incorporate the damage of the bridge member and device with the deterioration of the deck. The heterogeneous damages increased a crack area ratio compared to the individual single damage. For the single-span bridge, the occurrence of bearing damage leads to the spread of crack distribution in the girder, and in the case of multi-span bridges, expansion joint damage leads to the spread of crack distribution in the deck. The research underscores that bridge devices, when damaged, can cause subsequent secondary damage due to improper repair and replacement, which emphasizes the need for continuous observation and responsive action to the damages of the main devices.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.67-74
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• 2024

In this paper, we present a study aimed at analyzing how different rainfall measurement methods affect the performance of reservoir water level predictions. This work is particularly timely given the increasing emphasis on climate change and the sustainable management of water resources. To this end, we have employed rainfall data from ASOS, AWS, and Thiessen Network-based measures provided by the KMA Weather Data Service to train our neural network models for reservoir yield predictions. Our analysis, which encompasses 34 reservoirs in Jeollabuk-do Province, examines how each method contributes to enhancing prediction accuracy. The results reveal that models using rainfall data based on the Thiessen Network's area rainfall ratio yield the highest accuracy. This can be attributed to the method's accounting for precise distances between observation stations, offering a more accurate reflection of the actual rainfall across different regions. These findings underscore the importance of precise regional rainfall data in predicting reservoir yields. Additionally, the paper underscores the significance of meticulous rainfall measurement and data analysis, and discusses the prediction model's potential applications in agriculture, urban planning, and flood management.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.91-105
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• 2005

The assessment (or the evaluation) of spatial disparity is the main concern for the study of spatial disparities or spatial inequalities. In order to evaluate the spatial disparity, the regional differences have to be counted quantitatively. Several measurements have been introduced for evaluating the development potentials of each region. Most of them are the composite indices of the socio-economic variables rather than the real potentials of the region. This study attempts to investigate the spatial disparity in Korea. For the purpose, the levels of opportunity potentials of the cities have been calculated by the Potential Model redefined by Lee(1995). The opportunity potentials have been calculated for the educational, cultural, medical service, environmental sectors, income, and consumption sectors, and the spatial patterns of various opportunity potentials have been analyzed. The spatial patterns of opportunity potentials show the severe concentration on the Metropolitan Seoul area through all sectors. The next level concentration appears at the other end of the Keuyng-Bu axis. And the cities relatively high opportunity potential values are distributed along the Keuyng-Bu axis. Remain parts of the country show quietly low opportunity potential values. In particular, the southern-west and the northern-east parts show relatively very low values. This pattern appears for all sectors except for the opportunity potential of the environmental sector. It means that the spatial disparity in Korea have been promoted and enhanced by the national development policies concentrated the investment on the large cities along the Keuyng-Bu axis during the last 40 years.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.613-620
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• 2008

The genetic parameters used in National Hanwoo Genetic Evaluation(NHGE) were needed to be monitored and updated periodically for accounting any possible changes in population parameters due to selection and environmental changes. Genetic parameters were estimated with single and two-trait models with MTDFREML package using 2,791 carcass records of steers collected from Hanwoo Progeny Test Program(HPTP). Single and two-trait models gave similar parameter estimates for all traits. The heritability estimates from single and two-trait models for carcass weight(CW), dressing percentage(DP), eye muscle area(EMA), back fat thickness(BFT) and marbling score(MS) were 0.30, 0.30, 0.37, 0.44 and 0.44, respectively. The heritability estimates for all the traits except BFT were slightly lower than those used in NHGE but seemed to be within the acceptable ranges. However, further monitoring is needed because the data might not have fully reflected the changes such as carcass grading standards in performance testing program. In order to shift statistical model of NHGE from single trait model to multiple-trait model, the genetic correlations between carcass traits were estimated with pairwise two-trait models. The genetic correlation coefficients between CW and DP, between CW and EMA, between CW and BFT and between CW and MS were 0.44, 0.63, 0.17 and 0.06, respectively. Those between DP and EMA, between DP and BFT and between DP and MS were 0.29, 0.40 and 0.20. Those between EMA and BFT and between EMA and MS were －0.24 and 0.15, respectively. The genetic correlation coefficient between BFT and MS was 0.03.