• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.729-746
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• 2020

For the development and better use of information and communication technology(ICT) for promoting health and quality of life in older people, it is important to understand personal factors associated with ICT use. The aims of this study were to describe the pattern of ICT use according to health characteristics of elderly and to investigate significant factors related to ICT use among three age groups. The data of 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans was used for analysis and 10,058 of older adults aged 65 and over were included for study participants. As results, first, the young old(65~74) used more functions of ICT than the middle-old(75~84) and the old-old(85 and over). Second, ICT was more used among older people with good conditions in chronic disease, subjective health, cognition, depression, vision, hearing, walking and IADL. Third, higher prevalence of ICT use was significantly associated with age, education, household income, subjective health, depression, cognitive function, vision limitation and walking limitation. Fourth, factors influencing the use of ICT were a little different among three age groups. For the young-old(65~74), subjective health, depression, cognitive decline, walking limitation, and IADL disability were significant factors affecting on ICT use. For the middle-old(75-84), subjective health, depression, cognitive decline, vision, hearing, and walking limitation were related with their ICT use. For the old-old(85 and over), only cognitive function and depression were associated with their ICT use. Based on these results, this study suggested the need to consider multiple health conditions for developing and using ICT for older adults.

• 한국노년학
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.197-215
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• 2021

This study aims to evaluate Person Centered Care practice and characteristics of care services in Korean long-term care facilities using Dementia Care Mapping as a tool. DCM, systematic observational evaluation tool for measuring dementia patients' QOL, was transformed into self-report rating scale. The process of transforming DCM into a scale of 34 items involves operationalization of DCM concepts and it's adaptation into Korean long-term care practices. Review by research team of Bradford university was added to maintain DCM concept and meaning in this scale. The scale with Cronbach alpha of .88 was surveyed on 343 care workers. Survey result shows PCC value practiced by them is 3.77(of 5 likert scale) and values on each categories of PCC reveal the characteristics of care in Korean facilities; attachment(4.02), comfort(3.95), inclusion(3.89), identity(3.67) and occupation(3.41). Dementia care in Korean facilities focuses on recipients'safety, comfort but lacks individualistic care and the meaningful and fulfilling occupation for patients. Looking at the organizational and individual factors influencing DCM values, the small facilities showed higher PCC values and there are no significant difference in PCC values between public and private facilities. Managers and care workers with career of 1~2 years showed higher PCC values compared to other career ranks and lengthes. This study suggests care practice should be centered on personhood of patients in long-term care facilities, for which introduction of unit care and education of PCC for service providers including support personnel are needed. DCM and Korean DCM scale developed in this study are suggested for the PCC-based assessment on care quality.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.234-244
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• 2021

Purpose: To date, studies of firearm and explosive injuries in the Korean military have been limited compared to its importance. To overcome this, this study examined the characteristics of musculoskeletal damages in soldiers who have suffered firearm and explosive injuries over the past four years. Materials and Methods: From January 2015 to July 2019, military forces who had suffered musculoskeletal injuries from firearms or explosive substances were included. The medical records and radiographs were reviewed retrospectively, and telephone surveys about Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA) for this group were conducted. To compare the functional outcomes, statistical analysis was performed using a t-test for the types of weapons, and ANOVA for others. Results: Of the 61 patients treated for firearms and explosives injuries, 30 patients (49.2%) were included after undergoing orthopedic treatment due to musculoskeletal injury. The average age at injury was 26.4 years old (21-52 years old). The number of officers and soldiers was similar. Eleven were injured by gunshot and 19 by an explosive device. Sixteen were treated in the Armed Forces Capital Hospital and 10 at private hospitals. More than half of the 16 patients (53.3%) with a fracture had multiple fractures. The most common injury site was the hand (33.3%), followed by the lower leg (30.0%). There were 14 patients (46.7%) with Gustilo-Anderson classification 3B or higher who required a soft tissue reconstruction. Fifteen patients agreed to join the SMFA survey for the functional outcomes. Between officers and soldiers, officers had better scores in the Bother Index compared to soldiers (p=0.0045). Patients treated in the Armed Forces Capital Hospital had better scores in both the Dysfunction and Bother Index compared to private hospitals (p=0.0008, p=0.0149). Conclusion: This is the first study to analyze of weapons injuries in the Korean military. As a result of the study, the orthopedic burden was high in the treating patients with military weapon injuries. In addition, it is necessary to build a military trauma registry, including firearm and explosive injuries, for trauma treatment evaluation and development of military trauma system.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 2022

To clarify the spatial distribution pattern of macrozoobenthos in Korean coastal waters in the summer season and investigate the relationship between community structure and benthic environmental factors, field surveys on community structure and benthic environmental factors were conducted at 117 stations in August 2017. A total of 613 macrobenthic species were identified, with the mean density of 1,228 ind./m² and the mean biomass (wet weight) of 110.9 g WW/m². Rich biodiversity was found at stations near Wando and along the coast of the East Sea, and there is a trend that stations with greater biodiversity also showed higher mean density as well. The dominant species in all the coastal areas in Korea was Heteromastus filiformis, which were found at most of the stations during the survey. The relatively deep areas in the East Sea were dominated by Magelona johnsoni and Maldane cristata, which were the third and ninth dominant species in the study areas, respectively. Pseudopolydora kempi and Rhynchospio sp. were observed only at the station located in the Nakdong River estuary. From the cluster analysis the stations could be clustered into three station groups with more similar faunal composition. Group A was located in the eastern coast, characterized with deep water depth and low levels of sand contents, while Group B was located in the southern coast, characterized by shallow depth of water and high content of mud and organic matter. Lastly, Group C was in the western coast, demonstrating low levels of mud content and organic matters. The biodiversity of macrobenthic species in the study area showed high positive correlation coefficients with benthic environmental factors such as sorting, clay, silt, and contents of organic matter in sediments, but negatively correlated with the sand contents. Major dominant species, Theora lata and Eriopisella sechellensis, both showed negative correlation coefficients with the sand contents, but a relatively high positive correlation with the levels of organic contents.It can be concluded that the spatial distribution patterns of macrobenthic organisms in Korean coastal waters are affected by depth, sediment type, and contents of organic matters.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2022

The survey of bird community characteristics was carried out four times on 2016 and 2017, respectively May and October to figure out effects of the manmade small ecosystem, Anseong. Twenty five species and 94 individuals were observed in the study area. The dominant species were Passer montanus 19.1%, Pica pica 12.8%, Cyanopica cyana 8.51%, Sinosuthora webbiana and Carduelis sinica ussuriensis respectively 7.45%, the diversity of the species was 2.787. With migration, the highest number and percentage to the lowest was residents 72.0%, summer visitors 20.0% and winter visitors 8.00%. Among 22 species which bred (check or possibility) in the manmade small ecology, Anseong, canopy (C) was 54.5%, hole (H) was 31.8%, bush (B) was 9.09% and ground (G) was 4.55% in their nesting guilds. In foraging guilds in breeding season was canopy (C) was 69.6%, bush (C) was 21.7%, water (W) and ground (G) was respectively 4.35%, and in non-breeding season, canopy was 64.0%, bush 24.0%, ground was 8.00% and water 4.00%. In the study site, the manmade habitats for birds were nest box and wetland (rain garden). In 7 nest box, Parus major was uesd 1 nest box as their breeding on 2016 and 2017, and Passer montanus was used 1 nest box on 2017. We assumed that sustainable rainwater supply may be important to attract many birds in rain garden, the manmade habitat for birds.Unfortunately, however, no birds used rain garden (wetland) as their habitats due to water shortage.

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.4
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• pp.128-141
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• 2022

Baengnyeongdo Island, which belongs to Ongjin-gun, Incheon, is an island in the northernmost part of the West Sea in South Korea. Baengnyeong Island is the 15th largest island in Korea and covers an area of 51 km². The Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC) investigated the possibility of growing ginseng on Baengnyeong Island in 1996. In 1997, thanks to the support of cultivation costs from Ongjin-gun, the first ginseng seedbed was built on Baengnyeong Island. In 1999, the seedlings were transplanted to a permanent field under a contract with KGC. In 2003, the first six-year-old ginseng harvest was performed, and KGC purchased all production according to the contract. Since then, KGC has signed on to grow ginseng until 2012 and purchased six-year-old ginseng until the fall of 2016. Since 2014, the GimpoPaju Ginseng Agricultural Cooperative Association has signed a ginseng production contract. According to a survey of nine 6-year-old ginseng fields (total 5,961 units) on Baengnyeong Island, the top five with good growth had a survival rate of 42.6 to 68%, and the bottom four with poor growth had an extremely low survival rate of 11.1 to 21.3%. The four fields with low survival rates were where hot peppers were planted before ginseng cultivation. It is believed that the excess nitrogen remaining in the soil due to the treatment of compost or manure during pepper cultivation causes ginseng roots to rot. The average incidence of Alternaria blight was 8.6%. Six six-year-old ginseng gardens were low at 1.1 to 4.7%, while the other three were high at 16.7 to 20.9%. It is assumed that the reason for the low survival rate and high incidence of Alternaria blight is a rain-leaking shield. Farmers used rain-leaking shields because the precipitation on Baengnyeong Island was smaller than on land. One field showed 3% of leaves with yellowish brown spots, a symptom of physiological disturbance of the leaf, which is presumed to be due to the excessive presence of iron in the soil. To increase the production of ginseng on Baengnyeong Island, it is necessary to develop a suitable ginseng cultivation method for the island, such as strengthening the field management based on the results of a scientific study of soil, using rain-resistant shading, and installing drip irrigation facilities. I hope that ginseng will become a new driving force for the development of Baengnyeong Island, allowing ginseng products and food to thrive in the beautiful natural environment of the island.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.579-593
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• 2021

In order to understand the types of vegetation in warm temperate-climate zones, vegetation was investigated in several island areas in Jeollanam-do (Jindo, Wando, Gangjin, Goheung, and Yeosu). The evaluation standard for degraded level of warm temperate forests were proposed based on the importance percentage (IP) in canopy layer of the evergreen broad-leaf forests and the number of arboreal evergreen broad-leaf species. Through these measurements, the restoration types and techniques for each degraded level were estimated, and it is intended to be used in establishing restoration plans for the southwest coast island area. The vegetation was analyzed using the two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) method using survey data of 307 plots. As a result, it was divided into 8 communities, and the appearance characteristics of evergreen broad-leaf species were identified in each community. Community I was located on the lower slope at an altitude of 86.6 m, and Neolitsea sericea and Castanopsis sieboldii were dominant. Communities II and III were the vegetation types that appear on the coast below an altitude of 10.5 to 22.5 m, and Machilus thunbergii, Cinnamomum japonicum, N. sericea, and C. sieboldii were dominant. Communities IV and V were vegetation types that appeared in the lower and middle slops between the altitudes of 71.9 to 153.4m, and C. sieboldii was dominant. In community VI, the N. sericea was dominant in the lower and middle slops at an altitude of 166.9 m. The last communities VII and VIII were the vegetation types that appeared on the middle slop at an altitude of 187.8 to 246.2 m. Also, Quercus acuta and Q. salicina were present. In summary, the evergreen broad-leaf forests dominated by M. thunbergii, C. japonicum, and N. sericea appeared mainly in the coastal areas of the lowlands. The community of C. sieboldii was distributed higher inland than this community. The communities that appeared mainly in the inland highlands at levels above these two communities were Q. acuta and Q. salicina. The degraded level was classified as 0 to V, according to the IP of arboreal evergreen broad-leaf species and the number of arboreal evergreen broad-leaf species. According to the degraded level, the restoration types (preservation, induction, improvement, creation) and the restoration techniques were determined.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.87-101
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• 2022

In addition to administering a questionnaire (J-survey), which questions individuals on subjective vocal fatigue, voice samples were collected before and after speech-language pathology sessions from 50 female speech-language pathologists in their 20s and 30s in the Daejeon and Chungnam areas. We identified significant differences in Korean Vocal Fatigue Index scores between the fatigue and non-fatigue groups, with the most prominent differences in sections one and two. Regarding acoustic phonetic characteristics, both groups showed a pattern in which low-frequency band energy was relatively low, and high-frequency band energy was increased after the treatment sessions. This trend was well reflected in the low-to-high ratio of vowels, slope LTAS, energy in the third formant, and energy in the 4,000-8,000 Hz range. A difference between the groups was observed only in the vowel energy of the low-frequency band (0-4,000 Hz) before treatment, with the non-fatigue group having a higher value than the fatigue group. This characteristic could be interpreted as a result of voice abuse and higher muscle tonus caused by long-term voice work. The perturbation parameter and shimmer local was lowered in the non-fatigue group after treatment, and the noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR) was lowered in both groups following treatment. The decrease in NHR and the fall of shimmer local could be attributed to vocal cord hypertension, but it could be concluded that the effective voice use of speech-language pathologists also contributed to this effect, especially in the non-fatigue group. In the case of the non-fatigue group, the rhamonics-to-noise ratio increased significantly after treatment, indicating that the harmonic structure was more stable after treatment.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.361-367
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify annual variation of observation and activity pattern of Korean chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus) using camera traps in the Seoraksan and Jirisan National Parks, South Korea from May 2019 to May 2021. The annual variation was identified based on the observed frequency through weekly observations. Daily activity patterns of the species were also analyzed by season. The daily activity pattern of chipmunk appeared to be constantly diurnal across the years regardless of habitat or season. The Korean chipmunks living in the two different regions were observed in different time periods throughout the year. While the chipmunks inhabiting the Seoraksan were observed from 18^th to 45^th week, the chipmunks inhabiting the Jirisan National Park were observed from 7^th to 48^th week. This may be influenced by the hibernation period of chipmunks in the two different regions. In both regions, chipmunks were most frequently observed in autumn. It is considered that seasonal variation on population dynamic and activity patterns of chipmunks were reflected in the observation frequency. Although the observation frequency of camera trap is an indirect indicator and thus having a limitation that it cannot distinguish the population density and amount of activity for the target species, camera trapping is still an effective survey technique for monitoring mammals due to its high accessibility and easy use.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.181-188
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• 2022

Objectives: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was approximately 16% in populations of over age 30 years, and deaths from diabetes mellitus became the sixth most prevalent cause of death by disease. To assess the relationship between HbA1c and heavy metal level in blood and urine, targeted residents were evaluated in a vast steel industrial complex. Methods: We selected 414 subjects for analysis after applying the following exclusion criterion: 18 persons with diabetes mellitus. They took part in a questionnaire survey and underwent blood and urinary assessments. HbA1c and lead (Pb) level were measured in blood and, cadmium (Cd), inorganic arsenic (iAs) and mercury (Hg) were evaluated in urine. Two subgroups were divided by HbA1c 6.5%. Each subgroup was divided by 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th and 90th percentile levels of biological exposure index of the heavy metals for logistic regression. Results: Odd ratios have a tendency to increase as they go from the 90th to the 10th percentile of cadmium. However, lead, arsenic and mercury did not have significant relationships with HbA1c. In correction of age, region, gender and smoking history, a higher distribution in the subgroup with cadmium above 0.8318 ㎍/g creatinine (30th percentile) was demonstrated in the subgroup with HbA1c levels above the 6.5%, with an odds ratio of 5.26 (95% C.I. ; 1.44~19.17). Conclusion: This study found a significant correlation between urinary levels of cadmium and HbA1c in correction of several factors. It is meaningful that this outcome may be used as a basis for a study to establish the acceptable limit of urinary cadmium in Korea.