• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.294-301
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• 2022

Background: In the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, small- and midsized enterprises (SMEs) may be an important transmission consideration. The study aimed to identify the pattern of COVID-19 prevention measures during the outbreaks in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do at the early stage of COVID-19. Moreover, we investigated whether SME size and past experiences affected the preventive measures implemented in the region. Methods: A survey detailing the general characteristics and implementation of 12 preventive activities was conducted in 122 SMEs in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey was analyzed by size and operation period. Results: The study subjects consisted of 53 (43.4%) workplaces with 1-5 employees, 50 (40.9%) workplaces with 6-30 employees, and 19 (15.6%) workplaces with 31-49 employees. The lowest three items among those surveyed were 'symptomatic workers to stay home for 3-4 days' (17.2%), 'work remotely' (18.9%), and 'video meetings' (20.5%). There were significant differences in the rate of several preventive measures implemented. The larger sized SMEs, the higher the number of implementations (p < 0.01). The operation period had no significant relationship with the implementation of preventive measures. The same pattern was observed in multiple generalized linear regression with covariate adjustment. Conclusion: Preventive measures among SMEs with fewer than 50 employees were identified. Even within SMEs, a gap in preventive measures according to size was confirmed. To prevent the spread of infection and protect workers' right to health, different support for different sized SMEs is necessary.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2004

The year of 2003 was characterized as a cool humid year. Low temperature and frequent rains were continued during March to July, resulting in 1.6 times higher rainfalls and 32％ less sunshine period compared to the average yean Due to 2003's climatic condition, rice blast, and bacterial leaf blight occurred severely. Higher rainfalls caused severe epidemic of phytophthora disease and, in case of red-pepper, 55％ of cultivation acreage was devastated by the disease over the country. Besides, crop diseases which become severe under cool-humid conditions, such as gray mold, sclerotinia rot, downy mildew, increased significantly compared to the previous year. In fruit trees, brown spot of apple, and pear scab occurred severely causing much yield loss.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.153-163
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• 2010

Periodontal disease, as a polymicrobial disease, is globally endemic as well as being a global epidemic. It is the leading cause for tooth loss in the adult population and has been positively related to life-threatening systemic diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes. As a result, it is clear that more sophisticated therapeutic modalities need to be developed, which may include vaccines. Up to now, however, no periodontal vaccine trial has been successful in satisfying all the requirements; to prevent the colonization of a multiple pathogenic biofilm in the subgingival area, to elicit a high level of effector molecules such as immunoglobulin sufficient to opsonize and phagocytose the invading organisms, to suppress the induced alveolar bone loss, or to stimulate helper T-cell polarization that exerts cytokine functions optimal for protection against bacteria and tissue destruction. This article reviews all the vaccine trials so as to construct a more sophisticated strategy which may be relevant in the future. As an innovative strategy to circumvent these barriers, vaccine trials to stimulate antigen-specific T-cells polarized toward helper T-cells with a regulatory phenotype (Tregs, $CD_{4+}$, $CD_{25+}$, $FoxP_{3+}$) have also been introduced. Targeting not only a single pathogen, but polymicrobial organisms, and targeting not only periodontal disease, but also periodontal disease-triggered systemic disease could be a feasible goal.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2018

Climate change will affect not only the crop productivity but also the pattern of rice disease epidemics in Korea. Impact assessments for the climate change are conducted using various climate change scenarios from many global climate models (GCM), such as a scenario from a best GCM or scenarios from multiple GCMs, or a combination of both. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of using a climate change scenario from the best GCM for the impact assessment on the potential epidemics of a rice leaf blast disease in Korea, in comparison to a multi?model ensemble (MME) scenario from multiple GCMs. For this, this study involves analyses of disease simulation using an epidemiological model, EPIRICE?LB, which was validated for Korean rice paddy fields. We then assessed likely changes in disease epidemics using the best GCM selected for individual agro?climatic zones and MME scenarios constructed by running 11 GCMs. As a result, the simulated incidence of leaf blast epidemics gradually decreased over the future periods both from the best GCM and MME. The results from this study emphasized that the best GCM selection approach resulted in comparable performance to the MME approach for the climate change impact assessment on rice leaf blast epidemic in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.297-305
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• 2022

The presence of artificial light enables humans to be active 24 h a day. Many people across the globe live in a social culture that encourages staying up late to meet the demands of various activities, such as work and school. Sleep deprivation (SD) is a severe health problem in modern society. Meanwhile, as with cardiometabolic disease, there was an obvious tendency that coronary heart disease (CHD) to become a global epidemic chronic disease. Specifically, SD can significantly increase the morbidity and mortality of CHD. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the effects of SD on CHD are multilayered and complex. Inflammatory response, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and endothelial function all contribute to cardiovascular lesions. In this review, the effects of SD on CHD development are summarized, and SD-related pathogenesis of coronary artery lesions is discussed. In general, early assessment of SD played a vital role in preventing the harmful consequences of CHD.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2023

Objective: This study aims to provide empirical data on epidemic management measures and childcare teacher education in centers. It examines the relationship between infectious disease knowledge, health control knowledge, and self-efficacy in relation to the practice of preventive behaviors among infant and toddler teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study involved 300 teachers from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS 23.0. Results: The study found that there is a positive relationship between childcare teachers' knowledge of infectious diseases and their engagement in preventive behavior. Additionally, internal control among the health care factors of childcare teachers also showed a positive relationship. Furthermore, the study revealed that the self-efficacy of childcare teachers is positively associated with their practice of preventive behavior. Overall, infectious disease knowledge, internal control measures, and self-efficacy were all found to have positive relationships with preventive behavior. Conclusion/Implications: This study proposes a new direction for future teacher education by highlighting the effectiveness of psychological factors, specifically health control materials and self-efficacy, in addition to focusing on improving infectious disease knowledge.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.31 no.1_2
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• pp.1-25
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• 2013

In this paper we have developed a mathematical model of alcohol abuse. It consists of four compartments corresponding to four population classes, namely, moderate and occasional drinkers, heavy drinkers, drinkers in treatment and temporarily recovered class. Basic reproduction number $R_0$ has been determined. Sensitivity analysis of $R_0$ identifies ${\beta}_1$, the transmission coefficient from moderate and occasional drinker to heavy drinker, as the most useful parameter to target for the reduction of $R_0$. The model is locally asymptotically stable at disease free or problem free equilibrium (DFE) $E_0$ when $R_0$ < 1. It is found that, when $R_0$ = 1, a backward bifurcation can occur and when $R_0$ > 1, the endemic equilibrium $E^*$ becomes stable. Further analysis gives the global asymptotic stability of DFE. Our aim of this analysis is to identify the parameters of interest for further study with a view for informing and assisting policy-makers in targeting prevention and treatment resources for maximum effectiveness.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.81-100
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• 2011

Byeon Jeung[辨證], which is to differentiate symptoms is a process of assessing the patient's condition. And like any other differentiation system, a ceratin pathological perspective is embedded. In Onbyeonghak(溫病學), new Byeon Jeung systems were designed to complement the insufficient, existing perspectives on acute epidemic febrile diseases. Oguktong(吳鞠通)'s Samchobyeonjeung(三焦辨證) is one of these newly designed systems. Though the meaning of Samchobyeonjeung varies among Onbyeong(溫病) researchers, they stand on common grounds of differentiating damp-heat disease[濕熱病]. However, Oguktong(吳鞠通) clearly demonstrated this system on epidemic febrile diseases. Researchers have acknowledged the importance of Oguktong(吳鞠通)'s approach, but thorough analysis of the subject has been insufficient. In this study, I have primarily studied the meaning of Samchobyeonjeung by analyzing "Onbyeongjobyeon(溫病條辨)", followed by assessment of negative and positive aspects.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.487-500
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• 2014

A new method to calculate the transmittable prevalence of an epidemic disease is proposed based on a back-calculation formula. We calculated the probabilities of reactivation and of parasitemia as well as transmittable prevalence (the number of persons with parasitemia in the incubation period) of malaria in South Korea using incidence of 12 years(2001-2012). For this computation, a new probability function of transmittable condition is obtained. The probability of reactivation is estimated by the least squares method for the back-calculated longterm incubation period. The probability of parasitemia is calculated by a convolution of the survival function of the short-term incubation function and the probability of reactivation. Transmittable prevalence is computed by a convolution of the infected numbers and the probabilities of transmission. Confidence intervals are calculated using the parametric bootstrap method. The method proposed is applicable to other epidemic diseases in other countries where incidence and a long incubation period are available. We found the estimated transmittable prevalence in South Korea was concentrated in the summer with 276 cases on a peak at the $31^{st}$ week and with about a 60% reduction in the peak from the naive prevalence. The statistics of transmittable prevalence can be used for malaria prevention programs and to select blood transfusion donors.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 1982

The disease syndrome characterized by the acute vomiting and diarrhea with high mortality had been greatly epidemic in Korea since June, 1931 and it was followed serologically and electron microscopically for the clarification of the agent. The agent present in feces of dogs associated with this syndrome had characteristic feature in agglutinating pig red blood cells that was specifically inhibited by anti-CPV reference dog serum. This also showed the serological identity with the reference CPV antigen in immuno-diffusion. Electron micrograph of the material revealed parvovirus particles with size of 20nm and icosahedral structure. These results clearly indicated that CPV was the primary cause of canine epidemic prevailing in 1981 in Korea.