• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.163-194
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• 2017

Coronary artery disease has increased in Korea as the country enters the aged society. It is well known that the incidence of coronary artery disease is related to aging, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and dietary habit. For effective treatment of significant coronary stenosis, close coordination between cardiac surgery and cardiology team is essential. Especially cardiologists' decision whether to do the stent placement or CABG is very important because the cardiologists usually start to consult the patients for their treatment. Recently, non-surgical interventions(that is stent placement) in cardiology field have dramatically increased as the national insurance system removed the limitation of the number of stents deployed. However, accidents are often caused by inappropriate use of stents, especially in patients with triple coronary disease or left main disease with heavy coronary calcifications. Another aspect of stent placement is to cope with an emergency case in the event of coronary rupture or pericardial tamponade during coronary interventions without cardiac surgeons. In the past two years, the Korea Consumer Agency (Consumer Dispute Coordination Committee) analyzed eight cases of medical dispute settlement. Only two hospitals were manned with both cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Seven patients died of procedures of stenting and five patients died on the day of the procedure. Among the 8 cases, 5 cases showed 3 vessel disease and the rest of the cases had either severe calcification, complete occlusion or poor coronary antomies for stenting According to a 2017 national data registry of coronary stenting, less than 3 drug-eluting stents were implanted in 98% of all patients. In 2015, the number of stent procedures was 38,922, and approximately in 800 (2%) cases, more than four stents were used per patient. We emphasize that it is necessary to seriously consider the cost-benefit analysis between stent and CABG. The patient has the right to choose the right procedure by asking the liability of 'instruction explanation obligation'. He should be well informed of the pros and cons of both procedures to avoid overuse of stent. It can be solved by intimate discussion of individual cases with the cardiac surgeon and the patient. Unilateral dialogue with the patient, forceful restriction on the number of stenting, lack of surgeon's backup in difficult cases should all be avoided. It is also necessary to solve the problem not only at the hospital level, such as multidisciplinary integrated medical care, but also a nationwide solution such as expanding cardiac surgeons as essential personnel to public officials.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.424-431
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• 2018

Stormwater runoff containing considerable amounts of pollutants such as particulates, organics, nutrients, and heavy metals contaminate natural bodies of water. At present, best management practices (BMP) intended to reduce the volume and treat pollutants from stormwater runoff were devised to serve as cost-effective measures of stormwater management. However, improper design and lack of proper maintenance can lead to degradation of the facility, making it unable to perform its intended function. This study evaluated an infiltration trench (IT) that went through a series of maintenance operations. 41 monitored rainfall events from 2009 to 2016 were used to evaluate the pollutant removal capabilities of the IT. Assessment of the water quality and hydrological data revealed that the inflow volume was the most relative factor affecting the unit pollutant loads (UPL) entering the facility. Seasonal variations also affected the pollutant removal capabilities of the IT. During the summer season, the increased rainfall depths and runoff volumes diminished the pollutant removal efficiency (RE) of the facility due to increased volumes that washed off larger pollutant loads and caused the IT to overflow. Moreover, the system also exhibited reduced pollutant RE for the winter season due to frozen media layers and chemical-related mechanisms impacted by the low winter temperature. Maintenance operations also posed considerable effects of the performance of the IT. During the first two years of operation, the IT exhibited a decrease in pollutant RE due to aging and lack of proper maintenance. However, some events also showed reduced pollutant RE succeeding the maintenance as a result of disturbed sediments that were not removed from the geotextile. Ultimately, the presented effects of maintenance operations in relation to the pollutant RE of the system may lead to the optimization of maintenance schedules and procedures for BMP of same structure.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.34
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• pp.327-337
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• 2018

Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society as much as it takes the first place among OECD countries, and as the life expectancy of Korea gradually increases, the proportion of the elders in society increases. Accordingly, the happiness of the elders is contributed to the overall social atmosphere and happiness, however, the lower quality of life of the elders due to physical, psychological and social changes can be developed into social problems such as depression and rising suicide rate. As a result, there is a social interest in improving the quality of life and satisfaction of the elders, and the senior citizen center is receiving renewed attention as a form of welfare facility that can play a pivotal role in the social activities of the elders. In recent years, efforts to improve the environment of the senior citizen center have been made due to the growing role of it, however, there is a controversy over whether the quality of the indoor environment is user-friendly or not due to the limitations of material resources and human resources. It is considered that the quality of the color environment should be improved in the senior citizen center in the way that the color environment is not only an indoor environmental factor which gives high psychological and mental effects to users but also a way to improve the environmental satisfaction at the lowest cost. Previous studies on the facilities related to the elders have been actively carried out, but they were very sporadic and there was very little information about the color environment in the related laws or in the guideline presented by cities. It is necessary to integrate guidelines that are scattered within a comprehensive range without any specific target in order to grasp the current status of the color environment and to properly evaluate it. In addition, considering that the senior citizen center is an important leisure facility for the elders that functions in a residential area with a nationwide network, the results of this study are expected to contribute to the environmental improvement of existing senior citizen center which will be activated in the future by enabling the improvement of psychological satisfaction of the elders.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of restricted feeding to laying performance and egg quality in brown layers. A total of 1,080 brown layer chicks were divided into three treatments; conventional feeding (ad libitum) and two restricted feedings (80% of conventional diet) for 70 weeks. One of restricted feeding started from six to eighteen weeks of age, and the other started from twelve to eighteen weeks of age. Diets were formulated by NRC (1994) recommendation. Overall laying performance and feed intake were the highest in $6{\sim}18 wk$ restricted group. But there was no significant difference among treatment group (P>0.05). Feed intake was higher in $6{\sim}18 wk$ restricted group during maximum production (P<0.05), but there was no difference between treatments after the peak. Egg quality tended to decreased by aging, but there was no significant difference among the treatments (P>0.05). The result of present study indicated that restricted feeding in rearing period of layers is beneficial to improve egg productivity and to reduce feed cost.

• Journal of Korean Medical Ki-Gong Academy
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.96-114
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• 2005

This study was carried out to provide essential data for the future health promotion projects to be aimed at improving quality of life for the elderly people in the increasingly aging society of Korea by investigating factors related to the yangseng of old people in urban areas. The results of this study are to be used as basis for efficient approach toward health promotion projects for the elderly in urban communities. For the purpose, a survey by questionnaires was conducted to urbanites from May th June 2004. The collected replies were analyzed from the viewpoints of Oriental Medicine for yangseng. 1. The average points of health care were 3.24. In details by sub-areas, 3.78 was rated for morality yangseng, 3.29 for mind, 3.30 for diet, 3.79 for activity and rest, 2.32 for exercise, 3.72 for sleeping, 2.95 for season and 1.81 for sexual life, which showed that the area of activity and rest yangseng was scored highest while the area of sexual life yangseng was rated lowest. 2. As for the extent of health care depending on the characters of subjects, higher scores were rated by men than women, younger ones than aged and spoused ones than singles. Married couples living without other family members were found to yangseng most, while more yangseng was taken by the educated, job holders and those who utilize leisure and have religion in order. 3. Men exercised more yangseng than women in the diet, exercise and sleeping. By age, the group aged 65 to 69, the more yangseng in the exercise and sexual life. The group with spouse featured higher concern for yangseng in all categories except for season. Married couples who are living with no other family members recorded the highest point in all areas except for exercise. 4. The more one is educated, the more he/she is tended to take yangseng in the sub-areas of exercise and sexual life. The group with occupation is also inclined to take more yangseng in the same sub-areas as those of the highly educated. When they pay living cost together with offspring, they appeared to be the most yangseng in season and sexual life. People who enjoy leisure showed higher yangseng in all areas except for season. Religion had a significant influence in all areas except for activity and rest yangseng. 5. Those who reply that they are confident with health and have no disease proved to have higher yangseng. Depending on whether one has disease or not, higher yangseng was confirmed in such sub-categories as mind and sleeping. Those who replied they are confident with health had higher yangseng in all areas except for season. As seen above, yangseng of the old people in the urban area is found to have different extent depending on the individual and socioeconomic characters, factors which should be seriously considered in the local health promotion projects and projects for the health of the elderly. It seems therefore necessary to launch health promotion programs and to analyze their effects to promote health care particularly in the areas of sexual life, exercise and season yangseng that featured lowest grade of yangseng in each sub-area.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1247-1259
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• 2009

Muscle mass is reduced by aging. There seems to be no direct relationship between sarcopenia(muscle loss) and medical cost in the elderly, but lowering muscle mass results in increase risk of fall and decrease of strength, fitness, physical activity, and independent life. This is coupled with physical trouble and chronic degenerative disease such as diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Thus, sarcopenia is potential risk factor increasing mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of elastic band exercise and detraining on sarcopenia prevention related variables, body composition and fitness. The subject of this study was 60~70 aged 14 seniors who participated in exercise program in J-welfare senior center at J-gu in S-city. Elastic band exercise was performed twice per week for 12 weeks. The body composition and fitness variables were measured before 12 weeks of control, after control(before exercise), after 12 weeks of exercise(before detraining), and after 12 weeks of detraining. There was no significant difference in body composition and fitness variables before and after 12 weeks of control, but elastic band exercise before and after 12 weeks has effect on body composition variables such as weight (t=2.978, p=0.001), body mass index (t=3.502, p=0.004), percent body fat (t=2.216, p=0.045), muscle mass (t=-3.837, p=0.002), visceral fat area (t=5.186, p<0.001), and waist-hip ratio (t=3.045, p=0.009) and on fitness variables such as 2-minutes step (t=-6.891 p<0.001), arm curl (t=-4.702, p<0.001), chair stand (t=-4.860, p<0.001), chair sit and reach (t=-5.910, p<0.001), back scratch (t=-3.835, p=0.002), and 8-ft up and go (t=7.560, p<0.001). This exercise effect was continued after 12 weeks of detraining on body composition variables such as weight (t=2.323, p=0.037), body mass index (t=2.503, p=0.026), muscle mass (t=-3.137, p=0.008) and on fitness variables such as 2-minutes step (t=-6.489 p<0.001), chair stand (t=-4.694, p<0.001), chair sit and reach (t=-3.690, p=0.003), and 8-ft up and go (t=7.539, p<0.001). It was found that the elastic band exercise has positive effect on body composition and fitness in the elderly and the effect was maintained over 12 weeks of detraining.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.93-103
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• 2015

In this study, it has an intention of arranging an implication based on an effective introduction of a wage peak system in Japan to settle a mandatory retirement at sixty according to a legalization of retirement age at sixty smoothly. Institutionally, retirement age guaranteed type that reduces wage from certain period before retirement is of great importance. In Japan, mainly features the extension of retirement age that focus on keeping aged employment after retirement. In the introduction of the wage peak system, Korea attaches importance to the wage cost savings, but Japan puts emphasis on using aging workforce. Korea wants to promote the aged employment for retirement age at 60, whereas Japan actively push ahead with retirement age 65 and after that time. South Korea needs to reinforce the pensionable age and the connection though the extension of retirement age via the manpower utilization, employment promotion and the stability. It is necessary to prepare a institutional plan to try not to make a gap of the pensions by guaranteeing or extending the retirement age connect to the age of pensioners though the wage peak system. To activate the wage peak system, it is necessary to acknowledge a legal improvement that concedes rational changes such as the rule of employment. An active interpretation is needed currently though, it is more necessary to review the stipulation and the rational changes of the rule of employment that is established by a precedent like the Japanese legislation case. When a disadvantageous change of works rules is made, it is able to consider establishing the provision in the Act on age Discrimination Prohibition in Employment and Aged Employment Promotion, therefore it won't be able to apply the regulation in the rational criterion that satisfies the standards, rather than amending a Article 94 of the Labor Standards Act that makes accepting the approval of the majority of workers.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-156
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• 2013

Researchers in welfare services of local government in Korea have rather been on isolated issues as disables, childcare, aging phenomenon, etc. (Kang, 2004; Jung et al., 2009). Lately, local officials, yet, realize that they need more comprehensive welfare services for all residents, not just for above-mentioned focused groups. Still cases dealt with focused group approach have been a main research stream due to various reason(Jung et al., 2009; Lee, 2009; Jang, 2011). Social Security Information System is an information system that comprehensively manages 292 welfare benefits provided by 17 ministries and 40 thousand welfare services provided by 230 local authorities in Korea. The purpose of the system is to improve efficiency of social welfare delivery process. The study of local government expenditure has been on the rise over the last few decades after the restarting the local autonomy, but these studies have limitations on data collection. Measurement of a local government's welfare efforts(spending) has been primarily on expenditures or budget for an individual, set aside for welfare. This practice of using monetary value for an individual as a "proxy value" for welfare effort(spending) is based on the assumption that expenditure is directly linked to welfare efforts(Lee et al., 2007). This expenditure/budget approach commonly uses total welfare amount or percentage figure as dependent variables (Wildavsky, 1985; Lee et al., 2007; Kang, 2000). However, current practice of using actual amount being used or percentage figure as a dependent variable may have some limitation; since budget or expenditure is greatly influenced by the total budget of a local government, relying on such monetary value may create inflate or deflate the true "welfare effort" (Jang, 2012). In addition, government budget usually contain a large amount of administrative cost, i.e., salary, for local officials, which is highly unrelated to the actual welfare expenditure (Jang, 2011). This paper used local government welfare service data from the detailed data sets linked to the Social Security Information System. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that affect social welfare spending of 230 local authorities in 2012. The paper applied multiple regression based model to analyze the pooled financial data from the system. Based on the regression analysis, the following factors affecting self-funded welfare spending were identified. In our research model, we use the welfare budget/total budget(%) of a local government as a true measurement for a local government's welfare effort(spending). Doing so, we exclude central government subsidies or support being used for local welfare service. It is because central government welfare support does not truly reflect the welfare efforts(spending) of a local. The dependent variable of this paper is the volume of the welfare spending and the independent variables of the model are comprised of three categories, in terms of socio-demographic perspectives, the local economy and the financial capacity of local government. This paper categorized local authorities into 3 groups, districts, and cities and suburb areas. The model used a dummy variable as the control variable (local political factor). This paper demonstrated that the volume of the welfare spending for the welfare services is commonly influenced by the ratio of welfare budget to total local budget, the population of infants, self-reliance ratio and the level of unemployment factor. Interestingly, the influential factors are different by the size of local government. Analysis of determinants of local government self-welfare spending, we found a significant effect of local Gov. Finance characteristic in degree of the local government's financial independence, financial independence rate, rate of social welfare budget, and regional economic in opening-to-application ratio, and sociology of population in rate of infants. The result means that local authorities should have differentiated welfare strategies according to their conditions and circumstances. There is a meaning that this paper has successfully proven the significant factors influencing welfare spending of local government in Korea.