• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2012

Background: This study is to evaluate the effect of systemic corticosteroid on the clinical outcomes and the occurrence of complications in mechanical ventilated patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: We retrospectively assessed the clinical outcomes and complications in patients with severe CAP admitted to ICU between March 1, 2003 and July 28, 2009. Outcomes were measured by hospital mortality after ICU admission, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), ICU, and hospital stay. Complications such as ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter related-blood stream infection (CR-BSI), and upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding during ICU stay were assessed. Results: Of the 93 patients, 36 patients received corticosteroids over 7 days while 57 patients did not receive corticosteroids. Age, underlying disease, APACHE II, PSI score, and use of vasopressor were not different between two groups. In-hospital mortality was 30.5% in the steroid group and 36.8% in the non-steroid group (p>0.05). The major complications such as VAP, CR-BSI and UGI bleeding was significantly higher in the steroid group than in the non-steroid group (19.4% vs. 7%, p<0.05). The use of steroids and the duration of ICU stay were significantly associated with the development of major complications during ones ICU stay (p<0.05). Conclusion: Systemic corticosteroid in patients with severe CAP requiring mechanical ventilation may have no beneficial effect on clinical outcomes like duration of ICU stay and in-hospital mortality but may contribute to the development of ICU acquired complications.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Modified Constraint-Induced Therapy (MCIT) on the effected upper extremity of children with hemiparesis. Four children with hemiparetic upper extremity caused by brain injuries were trained by MCIT for ten weeks. During the same period, all of the subjects were also involved in thirty-minute regular physical therapy and occupational therapy. During the treatment period, the unaffected upper extremities of the subjects were restrained by a specially designed hand splint or a mitten for five hours a day, five days per week. For two hours out of the five-hour restraint period, the affected upper extremities were intensively trained by performing various functional tasks, which were individually structured to emphasize use of the affected arm. A single-subject design with A-B-A reversal was employed in this study. The affected limb motor ability was evaluated by Melbourne Assessment, measuring the time to grasp and release nine pegs, and measuring grasping power. As a consequence of this study, the affected limb motor test scores of all four subjects in the baseline period were improved during the treatment period. Furthermore, the treatment effect was maintained during a one-month follow-up period. The results of this study support the assumption that MCIT is an effective therapeutic method to improve the sensory and motor abilities of hemiparetic children. It also increases the frequency of functional use of the hemiparetic hands of brain-injured children. Based on the results of this study, it can also be assumed that the modified CIT method is especially beneficial to these children by reducing the negative emotional effects of forceful restraint of the unaffected upper extremity. To optimize the functional recovery of the paretic upper extremity by CIT, the restriction period per day should be decided individually, according to the characteristics of the individual.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.81-99
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• 2006

Recently, the area of ubiquitous has gained a great attention both in academics and in business organizations as we are entering an ubiquitous society where people can interact at "anytime" and "anywhere". To preoccupy the leading status for the next generation of IT technology, many countries such as Korea, Japan, and US are concerned the ubiquitous. In this tendency, companies want to identify what factors make people use ubiquitous in order to develop the effective ubiquitous service and to supply the higher quality service. However, prior researches on ubiquitous are focused on technical area such as higher data delivery, efficient compression of images, so they do not have given companies beneficial materials for making fascinating ubiquitous services. To offer the service materials for development, from the viewpoint of the customer, important factors to use ubiquitous services are investigated in this study. Moreover, the study was progressed up to the new area of investigation how much these factors influenced ubiquitous service actual usage. To achieve these goals, Ubiquitous service adopting reflected in ubiquitous service characteristics was suggested in this study. The results of this study are as follows. First, contextual offer, ubiquity, invisibility are positively related to perceived value. Second, perceived value is positively related to usage intention but perceived risk is negatively related to usage intention. Third, usage intention is positively related to usage frequency. Based on these results, managerial implications for ubiquitous service vitalization are discussed. Lastly, the limitation of this research and further research issues are suggested.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.301-314
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• 2018

Objectives: The aim of this study was to introduce the overall progress of exposure assessment to humidifier disinfectant (HD); to present participants' demographic characteristics, exposure characteristics to humidifier disinfectant, and exposure classification; and furthermore to compare those characteristics between survivors and non-survivors. Methods: An assessment of environmental exposure to HD was conducted using modified HD-specific questionnaires that had been previously validated. We analyzed the data from 4,482 participants who had been potentially exposed to HD and had registered with the KEITI (Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute) from September 2016 to May 2018 (the fourth survey). Environmental exposure assessments were performed as follows: 1) contact with participants, 2) environmental exposure assessment though face-to-face interviews, 3) assessment review and coding, and 4) exposure rating. Results: Overall, survivors made up 77.1% (3,457 subjects) and non-survivors made up 22.9% (1,025 subjects). When compared with the survivors, non-survivors had a higher proportion of subjects aged >60 years and subjects who answered as suffering lung damage and having purchased HD because it is "Beneficial to health" (p<0.05). For the exposure characteristics compared to survivors, non-survivors had a higher proportion of cases of distance from humidifier to face being less that one meter and the spray direction being toward the face (p<0.05). Overall, respondents who used the "Oxy Ssak Ssak New Gaseupgi Dangbun", "Aekyung Gaseupgi Mate", "Homeplus Gaseupgi Chungjungje", and "E-Mart Gaseupgi Salgyunje" products made up 66.1, 12.3, 4.0, and 3.6%, respectively, and 72.5% of respondents used products with PHMG as the active chemical. When compared with survivors, non-survivors had a higher proportion of use of "Oxy Ssak Ssak New Gaseupgi Dangbun" but a lower proportion of use of products with CMIT/MIT, PGH, or PHMG as the active chemical. Conclusions: This study provided demographic characteristics and exposure assessment for applicants who have been injured by HD. In spite of the limitations of performing past exposure assessment through a questionnaire survey, such as recall bias, useful results may be obtained by comparing survivors with non-survivors. Further studies such as the exposure rating method and so on are necessary to assess past exposure to HD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.640-646
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• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate the breadmaking characteristics of white bread when rice bran (RB), fermented rice bran (FRB) and rice bran oil (RBO) were added to the dough. Addition of RB to dough generally showed a decrease of the bread volume and increase of the bread weight which is related to the comparative decrease of gluten in the dough. Addition of RB also showed a decrease of lightness with yellowish color of RB and showed some rheological changes in dough. However, up to 5% RB addition, the dough showed a similar property of breadmaking with giving functional benefits compared to the control. Moreover 5% FRB addition to the dough improved the taste, flavor, and texture important to quality of bread. Substitutional use of RBO for shortening in dough result in comparative decrease of volume of dough. Addition of yellowish RBO influenced the increasing yellowness score, hardness, gumminess and brittleness, which is disadvantageous for the quality of white bread. However up to 50% RBO substitution for shortening made little rheological differences compared to the control. The 50% RBO substitution for shortening increased the score of flavor in sensory test even if there was an unfavorable quality point of white bread caused by a decreased volume and an increased hardness. From these results it could be suggested that the proper use of RB, FRB and RBO in breadmaking could improve the taste and flavor, giving beneficial function originated from rice bran to white bread.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1657-1667
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• 2010

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are dietary supplements that inhibit gastrointestinal infection and provide optimally regulated microbial environments in the digestive tract. As the use of antibiotics in ruminant feeds has been banned, DFM have been emphasized as antimicrobial replacements. Microorganisms that are used in DFM for ruminants may be classified as lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB), lactic acid utilizing bacteria (LUB), or other microorganisms including species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus and Propionibacterium, strains of Megasphaera elsdenii and Prevotella bryantii and yeast products containing Saccharomyces and Aspergillus. LAB may have beneficial effects in the intestinal tract and rumen. Both LAB and LUB potentially moderate rumen conditions and improve feed efficiency. Yeast DFM may reduce harmful oxygen, prevent excess lactate production, increase feed digestibility, and improve fermentation in the rumen. DFM may also compete with and inhibit the growth of pathogens, stimulate immune function, and modulate microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract. LAB may regulate the incidence of diarrhea, and improve weight gain and feed efficiency. LUB improved weight gain in calves. DFM has been reported to improve dry matter intake, milk yield, fat corrected milk yield and milk fat content in mature animals. However, contradictory reports about the effects of DFM, dosages, feeding times and frequencies, strains of DFM, and effects on different animal conditions are available. Cultivation and preparation of ready-to-use strict anaerobes as DFM may be cost-prohibitive, and dosing methods, such as drenching, that are required for anaerobic DFM are unlikely to be acceptable as general on-farm practice. Aero-tolerant rumen microorganisms are limited to only few species, although the potential isolation and utilization of aero-tolerant ruminal strains as DFM has been reported. Spore forming bacteria are characterized by convenience of preparation and effectiveness of DFM delivery to target organs and therefore have been proposed as DFM strains. Recent studies have supported the positive effects of DFM on ruminant performance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1024-1029
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• 2010

Use of polymeric soil amendments is an emerging way to reduce soil erosion, and improve crop productivity and soil quality. Objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) and synthetic biopolymer on soil erosion, crop growth and soil quality. The aqueous solutions of PAM and biopolymer at 40 kg/ha were applied to loamy soil plots (3 m width by 18 m long) having a 20% slope during radish (Raphanus sativus) cultivation. Results showed that PAM and biopolymer treatments increased aggregate stability up to 11% compared to the untreated control. Treatments of PAM and biopolymer also increased leaf length of radish but there was no significant difference in crop yield. Soil loss was decreased by up to 41% using the polymeric soil amendments; however, no difference in runoff was found, compared to the untreated control. Soil loss was logarithmically increased against an increase in rainfall intensity ($R^2=0.85$). Our findings suggest that proper use of polymeric soil amendments would be beneficial to maintain soil quality and reduce soil erosion in sloping uplands.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 2011

Two-way slabs reinforced with high-performance steels, which have several practical advantages of a reduction of congestion in heavily reinforced members, savings in the cost of labor and repair, the higher corrosion resistance, and a reduction of construction time, were constructed and tested. The influences of the flexural reinforcement ratio, concentrating the reinforcement in the immediate column region, and using steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) in the slab on the punching shear resistance and post-cracking stiffness were investigated, and compared with the punching shear test results of the slabs reinforced with conventional steels and GFRP bars. In addition, the strain distribution of flexural reinforcements and crack control were investigated, and the effective width calculating method for the average flexural reinforcement ratio was estimated. The use of high-performance steel reinforcement increased the punching shear strength of slabs, and decreased the amount of flexural reinforcements. The concentrating the top mat of flexural reinforcement increased the post-cracking stiffness, and showed better strain distribution and crack control. In addition, the use of SFRC showed beneficial effects on the punching shear strength and crack control. It was suggest that the effective width should be changed to larger than 2 times the slab thickness from the column faces.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.299-308
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• 2003

Quality characteristics of sausage added with green tea powder was studied to investigate the substitutive effect of green tea for nitrite. Residual nitrite, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS) and volatile basic nitrogen(VBN) contents of 9 different sausages prepared with 3 levels of nitrite(50, 100 or 150 ppm) and 3 levels of green tea(0, 0.5 or 1％) were measured during storage at l0$^{\circ}C$ for 6 weeks or 20$^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. Proximate compositions of the sausage were not affected by the addition level of green tea or nitrite. The lightness(L value) and redness(a value) of sausage decreased, while yellowness(b value) increased, with the addition of green tea powder. Residual nitrite content was lower in sausages containing green tea when prepared with same amount of nitrite, showing the addition of green tea powder has a beneficial effect on reducing the residual nitrite content in sausage. TBARS and VBN contents were lower in sausages with nitrite and green tea than those with nitrite alone. The TBARS and VBN lowering effects of green tea were higher in sausages prepared with low level of nitrite than those prepared with high amount of nitrite. The results suggest that the addition of green tea powder may reduce the residual nitrite content of sausage, and the use of green tea may also cut down the use of nitrite in the production of pork sausage with little deterioration in preservation.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.329-345
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• 1996

The purposes of this study are to review research trends of applied geography field, to retrospect geographical works done by Korean geographers in applied geography, and to prospect the future of applied geography. We are in the period where societal problems such as energy, transportation, pollution, environment, health care, and many others, require careful consideration and need throughout strategies for solution. Most societal problems have some geographical dimensions. Because these problems are geographic in nature, there is an obvious implication that geography as a discipline has something to offer in their solutions. In fact, most geographic problems are best presented and analyzed through the applications of geographic theories, concepts and tools. Applied geography is a branch of general geography. It relies on the scientific methods and uses the principles and methods of pure geography. However applied geography is different in that it analyzes and evaluates real world action and planning and seeks to implement and manipulate environmental and spatial realities. Thus, geographic theories and other social theories that have geographic dimensions are fundamental to applied geography. Applied geography has a short history as theme in Korean geography. During the last two decades. Korea achieved remarkable economic growth. We have also encountered widening regional disparity, housing shortage of larger cities, transportation congestion, environmental pollution and many other problems. Applied geographers have tried to analyze and solve such spatial problems during the last 30 years. The research trend of Korean applied geography can be subdivided into 5 categories: (1) land use analysis and efficient utilization, (2) national physical development and planning. (3) regional development and regional planning, (4) tourism and location-allocation, transportation planning. Still the overconcentration of Seoul metropolitan region and unbalanced regional development are perceived to be the serious spatial problems which may induce more works to solve these problems. In Korea new emphasis has to be given to some professional training and experimental learning, including methodology, field techniques data management, statistical analysis, cartography, GIS, and other tools, as applicable and beneficial to problem solving in real world. The growth of applied geography depends on new insights and purposed solutions of future applied geographers in Korea. Applied geographers will contribute to the creation of future Korean geographies.