• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.7-15
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• 2010

An early stage of general hospital in Korea was the quantitative growth period. Remodeling has been required to meet the increasing medical demands. To accept the change of paradigm and management operation method, remodeling occurred from the 20th century. Remodeling plans are difficult to define the direction of the detailed plan due to various factors in the beginning of the construction, Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the possibility and limitation of a feasible remodeling plan of general hospitals through the comparison of existing hospital before remodeling and after the remodeling takes effect. A comparison of the researched hospital's blue prints before and after the remodeling and recently built hospital's blue print, analyzed characteristic of the space variation by the remodeling. The purpose of research is to confirm a possibility and limitation of remodeling of general hospitals comparing with merits and faults of extension, reconstruction, and construction. In conclusion, the area of remodeling hospitals increase mostly medical department(ward, outpatient department, inpatient department) and subsidiary facilities, but the area of ward and inpatient department are less than the new hospitals. Especially, public area is greatly increased by the diversification of corridor function. Also, remodeling hospitals represent a limitation to plan departments in need of equipment-intensive space. To address this problem, expansion space is used mainly with inpatient department and existing space is placed mainly with low-impact department by equipment ; outpatient department, administration department.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2014

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of menopausal adaptation and Sanhujori (Korean traditional postnatal care) on the Health-related quality of life in middle-aged women. Methods: Women aged from 45 to 60 completed questionnaires consisting of SF-36 ver. 2 and menopausal adaptation scale between July to Aug, 2013. Two hundred and eighteen participants' data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: Physical health ($69.5{\pm}15.1$) was better than mental health ($68.8{\pm}17.1$), and bodily pain and social functioning were the same results as 2009 general U.S. population, with the sub-variables of quality of life being lower. Menopausal adaptation was at moderate level, and correlation of its sub-variables with quality of life were significant: fatigue (r=.60, p<.001), accomplishing feeling (r=.55, p<.001), confidence (r=.54, p<.001), dryness (r=.51, p<.001), flush (r=.38, p<.001), dominance (r=-.36, p<.001), stability (r=.26, p<.001). Fatigue, confidence, stability, period of sanhujori, and dryness revealed as influencing quality of life, while the total variation explained by these components was at 52%. Conclusion: To improve quality of life of middle aged women, health care providers need to provide nursing intervention to relieve fatigue and dryness; and address psychosocial concerns with developing nursing strategies to improve stability and confidence. For post-partum women, enough periods of sanhujori needs to be recommended.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.132-141
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• 2021

Purpose: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy during reduced-port gastrectomy for proximal gastric cancer is a technically challenging technique. No study has yet reported a robotic technique for anastomosis. Therefore, to address this gap, we describe our reduced-port technique and the short-term outcomes of intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent a totally robotic reduced-port total or proximal gastrectomy between August 2016 and March 2020. We used an infra-umbilical Single-Site^® port with two additional ports on both sides of the abdomen. To transect the esophagus, a 45-mm endolinear stapler was inserted via the right abdominal port. The common channel of the esophagojejunostomy was created between the apertures in the esophagus and proximal jejunum using a 45-mm linear stapler. The entry hole was closed with a 45-mm linear stapler or robot-sewn continuous suture. All anastomoses were performed without the aid of an assistant or placement of stay sutures. Results: Among the 40 patients, there were no conversions to open, laparoscopic, or conventional 5-port robotic surgery. The median operation time and blood loss were 254 min and 50 mL, respectively. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes was 40.5. The median time to first flatus, soft diet intake, and length of hospital stay were 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Three (7.5%) major complications, including two anastomosis-related complications and a case of small bowel obstruction, were treated with an endoscopic procedure and re-operation, respectively. No mortality occurred during the study period. Conclusions: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy during reduced-port gastrectomy can be safely performed and is feasible with acceptable surgical outcomes.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.85-98
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• 2022

The increasing use of various types of data to capture travel behavior relatively discredits the utility of traditional national-scale household travel surveys. However, the surveys are still arguably meaningful in their clarification of purposes and means of travel. Accordingly, this study reviews travel survey cases and related literature, to identify the status of the Korean National Household Travel Survey (KNHTS). It discusses improving the KNHTS's survey method, focusing on its long investigation cycle, short survey period, reduction in sample size, and questionnaire format biased toward mandatory travel. To address these issues, this study suggests reducing the survey cycle, conducting a year-round survey, combining weekday and weekend surveys, and specifying items on nonmandatory travel. These practical suggestions duly consider the validity and reliability of the KNHTS within budget constraints and its applicability to related fields, such as tourism, public health, and sociology.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.413-422
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• 2022

Objectives: To investigate the weight loss effect of Gambi-tang in obese and overweight adults. Methods: From September 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021, a retrospective chart analysis was conducted on adult men and women who were prescribed Gambi-tang to address obesity and overweight in the National Medical Center (NMC). Partial analysis by age, obesity (Body Mass Index, BMI), duration of dose, and cumulative dose was also conducted. Results: The weight and BMI of the study subjects showed a significant decrease of more than 5% on average before and after treatment. In an analysis of age, significant differences by age could not be confirmed. In the analysis by obesity level, the effect of reducing weight, body fat, and abdominal fat rates in the obese and highly obese groups was greater than in the normal and overweight groups. There was no significant difference by group in the analysis by dosage period. In the analysis by cumulative dose, the greater the cumulative dose up to 1,800 g, the greater the decrease in weight and body fat. The side effect that patients appealed to the most was misjudgment, but not to a serious extent. Conclusions: Gambi-tang has been shown to be effective in weight and body fat loss for both obese and overweight adult men and women.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.237-243
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• 2022

Unmet healthcare is an important indicator to measure accessibility of healthcare services. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, four different data which is composed of nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used; the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2007-2020), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2020), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2018), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2020). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 6.4% (KNHANES), 5.4% (CHS), and 12.2% (KHP). Annual percentage change (APC) which identifies trend for the follow-up period was -9.9%, -9.1%, and -5.5%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.0% (KNHANES), 0.4% (CHS), 2.2% (KHP), and 0.4% (KOWEPS). The APC was -11.3%, -17.0%, -12.2%, and -21.2%, respectively. Overall, the low-income and the elderly population reported a higher rate of unmet health care needs. Although the overall experience rate of unmet medical care due to cost decreased over the past decade, the disparity between the lowest and highest income groups still remained in 2020. Disparity between income levels and age groups is a challenge to address in healthcare system, and these results suggest the need for adequate health coverage for the low-income and the elderly populations.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.163-194
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• 2022

A transboundary environmental problem refers to an environmental problem that goes beyond a country's territory and damages neighboring countries. It is a difficult problem because, basically, it is a natural, rather than intentional, effect, and it is extremely hard to make a scientific consensus on the cause-effect relations between upstream and downstream nations. Air pollution, especially PM 2.5 and PM 10, is one of the typical cases of transboundary environmental problems in the Northeast Asia. This paper analyzes the constraints of environmental cooperation between China and South Korea to address transboundary air pollution issue. It argues that lack of trust and ideological hostility, rather than, scientific uncertainty, is the biggest obstacle for effective cooperation, and these hostile discourses and ideas are mostly generated by media in the downstream nation, the South Korea. In order to identify how South Korean media frames this issue, this paper searched newspaper articles in the six representative South Korean newspapers during the period of 2014 and 2020, and analyzed about 2,000 articles selected. It finds that South Korean media has framed the transboundary air pollution as a China bashing and related domestic political cleavage issue, while it neglects to show the cooperation attempts that the two countries have made to date. Also, while the media focuses on China hate frame, it has never reported the Chinese government's domestic policies to reduce air pollution and their results. Media's overuse of hate and blame frames not only has disrupted trust building but also it will delay a possible turning point of environmental cooperation between the two countries in the future.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.37-50
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• 1987

The exposure of the population in the United States to ionizing radiation has recently been evaluated by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). This was done by constituting six organizational groups to address various phases of the work and the results of this work are summarized in this article. The article is based on the report, by the same title, which is scheduled for publication by the NCRP in September, 1987. The six organizational groups are titled Radiation Exposure from Consumer Products, Natural Background Radiation, Radiation Associated with Medical Examinations, Radiation Received by Radiation Employees, Public Exposure from Nuclear Power, and Exposure from Miscellaneous Environmental Sources. These titles are descriptive of the subject areas covered by each of these separate groups. The data evaluated are for the years 1977-1984 with the majority of the data being for the period 1980-1982. Summary information is presented and discussed for the number of people exposed to given sources, the effective dose equivalent, the average effective dose equivalent to the U.S. population, and the genetically significant dose equivalent. The average annual effective dose equivalent from all sources to the U.S. population is approximately 3.6 mSv (360 mrem). Exposures to natural sources make the largest contribution to this total. Radon and radon decay products contribute 2.0 mSv (200 mrem) whereas the other naturally occurring radionuclides contribute 1.0 mSv (100 mrem). Among man-made or enhanced sources, medical exposures make the largest additional contributions, namely 0.39 mSv (39 mrem) for diagnosis and 0.14 mSv (14 mrem) for nuclear medicine. It was not possible to evaluate exposures for therapy. Most of the other sources of population exposure, including nuclear power and consumer products, are minor. A possible exception would be the use of tobacco products. These exposures are discussed in relation to a negligible individual risk level of $10{\mu}Sv/y$ (1 mrem/y). The NCRP considers exposures below the negligible individual risk level as trivial and as such should be dismissed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2023

This study aimed to understand the driver change of recent research in relation to rural and migrant and draw overarching issues as well as to provide implications to contribute to migrants' social integration in Korean rural areas. As for the scope and method of the study, data through quantitative bibliographic analysis (quantitative data) and research keywords by period were derived. To address the aim this study employed bibliometric analysis utilising netwok mapping interface analysis by VOSviewer and topic modeling analysis by Netminer. The findings were revealed that firstly mental health issues in abroad research and employment and discrimination in domestic research both derived from migrant mobility constituted staple key issues, secondly internal and external research differed two issues in health and violence where Korea has overlooked the issues seriously. Therefore this study presented implications which are about first, health and violence-related sections for migrants should be specified into domestic law, second domestic-focused MIPEX index should be developed in which the two issues are over-weighted and last such newly emerging approach 'inclusive formation of social psychological mechanisms should be widely spread. Concluding remark is that delivering the implications can be foster to migrants' integration in rural area underlining that this will ultimately contribute to migrants' quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.4_2
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• pp.705-713
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• 2023

The phenomenon of abnormal climate conditions resulting from greenhouse gas-induced global warming is increasingly prevalent. To address this challenge, global initiatives are underway to adopt environmentally friendly, zero-emission fuels. In this study, we investigate the hydrogen embrittlement characteristics of materials used for eco-friendly hydrogen storage systems. The effects of hydrogen embrittlement on austenitic stainless steels of the FCC series and structural steel of the BCC series were examined. Initially, test samples of three different steel types were prepared in 2t and 3t sizes, and hydrogen was injected into the specimens using an electrochemical method over a 24-hour period. Subsequently, a universal material testing machine (UTM) was employed to monitor changes in mechanical strength and elongation. The FCC series stainless steels exhibited a tendency for elongation to decrease, indicating low sensitivity to hydrogen. In contrast, the mechanical strength and elongation of the BCC series steel changed significantly upon hydrogen charging, posing challenges for prediction. The results of the present study are expected to serve as a fundamental database for analyzing the impact of hydrogen embrittlement on both FCC and BCC series steel materials.