• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.389-399
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to construct a structural equation model that would further explain the mental health status of Korean immigrants living in Canada. Methods: Survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 386 people in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto). Six instruments were used in this model. The analysis of data was done with both SPSS 14.0 for descriptive statistics and AMOS 5.0 for covariance structure analysis. Results: Based on the constructed model, physical health status, immigrant life stress, self esteem, and quality of life were found to have significant direct effect on mental health. In addition, factors such as physical health status, immigrant life stress, quality of life, English proficiency, family cohesion and social support were found to indirectly affect mental health. The final modified model yielded Chi-square=34.79 (p<.001), df=13, $x^2$/df=2.68, GFI=0.98, AGFI=0.94, NFI=0.95, PNFI=0.44, PGFI=0.35, RMSE=0.07 and exhibited good fit indices. Conclusion: This structural equation model is a comprehensive theoretical model that explains the related factors and their relationship with mental health in Korean immigrants. Findings of this study can contribute to the designing of an appropriate prevention strategy to further improve the mental health of immigrants in Canada.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.740-746
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• 2010

Most important characteristics of calcareous sand are the particle angularity and hollow structure. These characteristics lead to the different behavior of calcareous sand compared to siliceous sand. This study performs a series of dilatometer test using calibration chamber, in order to analyze the effect of particle characteristic of calcareous sand on DMT indices. From experimental test, it is observed that the horizontal stress index($K_D$) and dilatometer modulus($E_D$) of calcareous Jeju sand is underestimated compared to siliceous sand. This is because the particle crushing during penetration induces the less contraction of the dilatometer membrane. A slightly smaller influence of particle crushing is reflected in $E_D$ rather than $K_D$, because $P_1$ pressure reflects the deformation characteristics of un-crushed particle relatively well. It is also observed that $K_D$ of Jeju sand is differently influenced by the vertical effective stress compared with that of siliceous sand.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.318-323
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• 2001

Characteristics of the pulsatile flow in a 3-dimensional elastic blood vessel are investigated to understand the blood flow phenomena in the human body arteries. In this study, a model for the elastic blood vessel is proposed. The finite volume prediction is used to analyse the pulsatile flow in the elastic blood vessel. Variations of the pressure, velocity and wall shear stress of the pulsatile flow in the elastic blood vessel are obtained. The magnitudes of the velocity waveforms in the elastic blood vessel model are larger than those in the rigid blood vessel model. The wall shear stresses on the elastic vessel vary with the blood vessel motions. Amplitude indices of the wall shear stress for blood in the elastic blood vessel are $4\sim5$ times larger than those of the Newtonian fluid. As the phase angle increased, point of the phase angle is are moved forward and the wall shear stresses are increased for blood and the Newtonian fluid.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.274-286
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• 1994

Direct shear tests were on ducted in a laboratory setting in order to investigate the shear strength and deformation behavior of rock joints. Also, the characteristics of acoustic emissions (AE) during shearing of rock joints were studied. The artificial rock joints were created by splitting the intact blocks of Hwangdeung granites and Iksan marbles. Joint roughness profiles were measured by a profile gage and then digitized by Image analyzer. Roughness profile indices(Rp) of the joints were calculated with these digitized data. Peak shear strength, residual shear strength, shear stiffness and maximum acoustic emission(AE) rate were investigated with joint roughness. The peak shear strenght, the residual shear strength and the shear stiffness were increased as roughness popfile index or normal stress increased in the shear tests of granites. In the tests of marble samples, the shear deformation characteristics were not directly affected by joint roughness. As the result of two directional shear tests, the shear characteristics were varied with shear direction. AE count rates were measured during the shear deformation and the AE signals in several stages of the deformation were analyzed in a frequency domain. The AE rate peaks coincided with the stress drops during the shear deformation of joint. The dominant frequencies of the AE signals were in the vicinity of 100 kHz fo rgranite sample and 900 kHz for marble samples. The distribution of amplitude was dispersed with increasing normal stress.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.115-124
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• 2015

Determination of mobilized shear strength parameters (that identify stresses on the failure plane) is required for analyzing the stability by limit equilibrium method. Generalized Hoek-Brown (GHB) and Mohr-Coulomb (MC) failure criteria are usually used for obtaining stresses on the plane of failure. In the present paper, the applicability of these criteria for determining the stresses on failure plane is investigated. The comparison is based on stresses on the real failure plane which are obtained from the Mohr stress circle. To do so, 18 sets of data (consist of principal stresses and angle of failure plane) presented in the literature are used. In addition, the values account for (VAF) and the root mean square error (RMSE) indices were calculated to check the determination performance of the obtained results. Values of VAF and RMSE for the normal stresses on the failure plane evaluated from MC are 49% and 31.5 where for GHB are 55% and 30.5, respectively. Also, for the shear stresses on failure plane, they are 74% and 36 for MC, 76% and 34.5 for GHB. Results show that the obtained stresses and angles of failure plane for each criterion differ from real ones, but GHB results are closer to the empirical results. Also, it is inferred that results are affected by the failure envelope not real failure plane. Therefore, obtained shear strength parameters are not mobilized. Finally, a multivariable regressed relation is presented for determining the stresses on the failure plane.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.27-35
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• 2022

PURPOSE: A Mat Pilates exercise program and a stretching program were conducted for elderly women to determine how the two interventions affect their autonomic nervous system. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 20 elderly women over 65 who regularly used a welfare center located in C city of Chungnam. The subjects were assigned randomly to the following two groups: 10 people in the breathing and mat Pilates exercise program group (PG) and 10 people in the breathing and stretching program group (SG). RESULTS: The present study design is randomized controlled trial. Vascular age was decreased significantly in the PG (p < .05). The mean stress index was reduced significantly in the PG (p < .05), and the amount of change was significantly larger in the PG than in the SG (p < .05). The health index was significantly lower in the PG than the SG (p < .05), and the amount of change in the PG was significantly more prominent than in the SG (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The Mat Pilates program was effective in improving the vascular age, average stress index, and health index of elderly women. In particular, it was significantly more effective than the stretching exercise program in improving the average stress and health indices.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.443-452
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• 2024

The use of sand-tire chip mixtures in construction industry is a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach that addresses both waste tire disposal and soil improvement needs. However, the addition of tire chip particles to natural soils decreases maximum shear modulus (G_max), but increases compressibility, which can be potential drawbacks. This study examines the effect of overconsolidation stress history on the maximum shear modulus (G_max) of rigid-soft mixtures with varying size ratios (SR) and tire chip contents (TC) by measuring the wave velocity through a 1-D compression test during loading and unloading. The results demonstrate that the G_max of tested mixtures in the normally consolidated state increased with increasing SR and decreasing TC. However, the tested mixtures with a smaller SR exhibited a greater increase in G_max during unloading because of the active pore-filling behavior of the smaller rubber particles and the consequent increased connectivity between sand particles. The SR-dependent impact of the overconsolidation stress history on G_max was verified using the ratio between the swelling and compression indices. Most importantly, this study reveals that the excessive settlement and lower G_max of rigid-soft mixtures can be overcome by introducing an overconsolidated state in sand-tire chip mixtures with low TC.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.351-362
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• 2007

Objectives: The present study was intended to assess the mental health of nurses working for university hospitals and to establish which factors determine their mental health. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were given to 1,486 nurses employed in six participating hospitals located in Daejeon City and Chungnam Province between July 1 st and August 31st, 2006. The questionnaire items included sociodemographic, job-related, and psychosocial factors, with job stress factors (JCQ) as independent variables and indices of mental health status (PWI, SDS and MFS) as dependent variables. For statistical analysis, the Chi-square test was used for categorical variables, with hierarchical multiple regression used for determining the factors effecting mental health. The influence of psychosocial and job-related factors on mental health status was assessed by covariance structure analysis. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The factors influencing mental health status among subject nurses included sociodemographic characteristics such as age, number of hours of sleep, number of hours of leisure, and subjective health status; job-related characteristics such as status, job satisfaction, job suitability, stresses such as demands of the job, autonomy, and coworker support; and psychosocial factors such as self-esteem, locus of control and type A behavior patterns. Psychosocial factors had the greatest impact on mental health. Covariance structure analysis determined that psychosocial factors affected job stress levels and mental health status, and that the lower job stress levels were associated with better mental health. Conclusions: Based on the study results, improvement of mental health status among nurses requires the development and application of programs to manage job stress factors and/or psychosocial factors as well as sociodemographic and job-related characteristics.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2013

Development of a therapy providing protection from, or reversing gentamicin-sulfate (GS)-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity would be of great clinical significance. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) against gentamicin sulfate-induced renal damage in rats. Twenty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 equal groups as follows: group 1, control; group 2, GS 100 mg/kg/d, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection; group 3, GS 100 mg/kg/d, i.p. + HC 500 mg/kg/d, oral; and group 4, GS 100 mg/kg/d i.p. + HC 1000 mg/kg/d, oral administration). Treatments were administered once daily for 12 d. After 12 d, biochemical and histopathological analyses were conducted to evaluate oxidative stress and renal nephrotoxicity. Serum levels of creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), together with renal levels of MDA, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were quantified to evaluate antioxidant activity. Animals treated with GS alone showed a significant increase in serum levels of creatinine, BUN, and MDA, with decreased renal levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT. Treatment of rats with HC showed significant improvement in renal function, presumably as a result of decreased biochemical indices and oxidative stress parameters associated with GS-induced nephrotoxicity. Histopathological examination of the rat kidneys confirmed these observations. Therefore, the novel natural antioxidant HC may protect against GSinduced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2011

We studied oxidative stress in cinnamon clownfish exposed to hypoosmotic (35 psu ${\rightarrow}$ 17.5 psu and 17.5 psu with prolactin (PRL)) and low temperature ($28^{\circ}C{\rightarrow}24^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$) conditions by measuring the expression and activity of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). The expression and activity of the antioxidant enzymes were significantly higher after the fish were exposed to $24^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, and 17.5 psu, and expression was repressed by PRL treatment. Furthermore, we measured $H_2O_2$ and lipid peroxidation levels and found that they were significantly higher after exposure to the hypoosmotic and low-temperature environments. Additionally, we investigated changes in plasma AST and ALT levels after exposure to low temperature and hypoosmotic stress. These levels increased upon exposure of the clownfish to $24^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, and 17.5 psu, but the levels of these parameters decreased in the 17.5 psu with PRL treatment during a salinity change. The results indicate that hypoosmotic and low-temperature conditions induce oxidative stress in cinnamon clownfish and that the parameters tested in this study may be indices of oxidative stress in the cinnamon clownfish.