• Perspectives in Nursing Science
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2019

Purpose: Alcohol use in South Korean women, particularly college students, is increasing. Women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol use, which puts them at greater risk of physical and psychosocial problems. Some studies have reported that on failing to find meaning in life, many South Korean college students experience depression, subsequently using alcohol as a coping mechanism. This study aimed to develop a logotherapeutic program and identify its effects on meaning in life, depression, and problem drinking among female college students. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental trial. The participants were female college students who scored over 8 in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Twenty-four students were assigned to the experimental group and twenty-three to the control group. Three scales were used in this study: the Purpose in Life test, Beck Depression Inventory, and AUDIT. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test in SPSS/WIN 12.0. Results: After the conclusion of the logotherapeutic program, the level of meaning in life and depression were more greatly improved in the experimental group than the control group. Conclusion: The logotherapeutic program is an effective method to help female college students find meaning in life and reduce depression in this population.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.87 no.6
• /
• pp.555-574
• /
• 2023

An efficient optimization algorithm and damage-sensitive objective function are two main components in optimization-based Finite Element Model Updating (FEMU). A suitable combination of these components can considerably affect damage detection accuracy. In this study, a new hybrid damage-sensitive objective function is proposed based on combining two different objection functions to detect the location and extent of damage in structures. The first one is based on Generalized Pseudo Modal Strain Energy (GPMSE), and the second is based on the element's Generalized Flexibility Matrix (GFM). Four well-known population-based metaheuristic algorithms are used to solve the problem and report the optimal solution as damage detection results. These algorithms consist of Cuckoo Search (CS), Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO), Moth Flame Optimization (MFO), and Jaya. Three numerical examples and one experimental study are studied to illustrate the capability of the proposed method. The performance of the considered metaheuristics is also compared with each other to choose the most suitable optimizer in structural damage detection. The numerical examinations on truss and frame structures with considering the effects of measurement noise and availability of only the first few vibrating modes reveal the good performance of the proposed technique in identifying damage locations and their severities. Experimental examinations on a six-story shear building structure tested on a shake table also indicate that this method can be considered as a suitable technique for damage assessment of shear building structures.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.116-124
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a Tai Chi exercise program on physical function and physiological variables in patients with degenerative arthritis. Methods: The study utilized a nonequivalent control group with pretest-posttest design. Data collection was done with the elders from two welfare institutions in C-city between July I and September 22, 2007. The participants were assigned either to an experimental group (n=24) or to a control group (n=22). The experimental group participated in Tai Chi exercise for 60 minutes per session, twice a week for 12 weeks and the control group received the education about arthritis for 3 weeks. Results: Except for $VO_2max$, weight, and body fat rate, the elders in the experimental group showed significant improvement in physical function (grip strength, flexibility, balance), and physiological variables (BP) compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results suggest that Tai Chi exercise would partially improve physical function, and physiological variables. Further studies are needed to determine the effects on physical fitness and physiological variables after Tai Chi exercise in this population.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1736-1745
• /
• 2016

The interactions of microbiota in the gut play an important role in promoting or maintaining the health of hosts. In this study, in order to investigate and compare the effects of dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus pentosus HC-2 (HC-2), Enterococcus faecium NRW-2, or the bacteria-free supernatant of a HC-2 culture on the bacterial composition of Litopenaeus vannamei, Illumina sequencing of the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used. The results showed that unique species exclusively existed in specific dietary groups, and the abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly increased in the intestinal bacterial community of shrimp fed with the bacteria-free supernatant of an HC-2 culture compared with the control. In addition, the histology of intestines of the shrimp from the four dietary groups was also described, but no obvious improvements in the intestinal histology were observed. The findings in this work will help to promote the understanding of the roles of intestinal bacteria in shrimps when fed with probiotics or probiotic supernatant.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.236-245
• /
• 2003

Purpose: This study was to develop a screening model for identifying a high risk group of dementia and to develop and evaluate the web-based prevention program. Method: It was conducted in 5 phases. 1) Data were collected from dementia patients and non-dementia patients in a community. 2) A screening model of the high risk population was constructed. 3) The validity test was performed and the model was confirmed. 4) Four weeks-prevention program was developed. 5) The program was administered, and evaluated the effects. Result: The model consisted of age, illiteracy, history of stroke and hypercholesterolemia. The program was designed with 12 sessions, group health education using web-based individual instruction program, and 12 sessions of low-intensity physical exercise program. After the completion, their self-efficacy, and health behaviors in experimental group were significantly improved over those in the control group. The perceived barrier in the treatment group is significantly decreased. Conclusion: The screening model developed is very simple and can be utilized in diverse community settings. And the web based prevention program will encourage individual learning and timely feedback, therefore it can facilitate their active participation and promote health management behaviors at home.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.157-163
• /
• 2002

The role of the kidney in initiating hypertension has been much debated. The SA gene is expressed in the kidney and is association with hypertension in man and in experimental animal models. Also, increased plasma concentrations of homocysteine have been found in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension. The genetic variation of methlene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene is related to its enzyme activity and to the plasma homocysteine concentration. In view of the effect of SA and MTHFR as risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, we investigated the Pst I RFLP of the SA gene and C667T mutation of the MTHFR gene in the Korean patients with hypertension. There were no significant differences in the allele and genotype frequencies of these polymorphisms between normotensive and hypertensive subjects. Therefore, our results do not support a possible role of these genes on hypertension in Korean population.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.278-284
• /
• 1999

This study deals with the biological changes in mice after ${\gamma}-irradiated$. Four weeks old BALA/c mice were irradiated with 6.5Gy of ${\gamma}-ray$ on the fifth day after oral administration of radioprotectants such as ascorbic acid, tocopherol and cysteine. Control group was irradiated with 6.5Gy without pre-administration of radioprotectors. Blood cells and sperm cells were counted and body, testis and spleen were weighed 3 days after irradiation. And also liver antioxidant activity and range of spleen immune cells were measured. Differences in most biological parameters were not clearly distinguished between experimental groups. However, the relative spleen weight, the relative testis weight and the population size of spleen immune cells such as T helper cells, B cells and macrophages measured by means of FACS showed significant difference between irradiated and radioprotectant administered group. It is concluded that the relative spleen weight, the relative testis weight and the population size of spleen immune cells are easy and useful parameters for assessing the effect of radioprotective substances and for quantifying biological damage of radiation, as well.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.233-236
• /
• 2008

In recent years, Korea has experienced a steadily declining birth rate, which is a serious social problem in the country. Although living conditions have improved, the birth rates for low birth weight infants and preterm babies has increased because more and more women choose to give birth later in life and the social environment has changed. The rise in low birth weight infants may increase infant mortality rates and morbidity rates. However, the recent improvements in neonatal care has elevated the survival rate of low birth weight infants up to 90 percent and lowered the weight of the very low birth weight infants that can now be saved. In this study, we used dynamic population statistics from the Korea National Statistical Office, which represents the current trend of social stratification and the population of this period. We analyzed birth records for a seven-year period and studied the changes in the delivery rate of preterm and low birth weight infants and the problems related to those changes. The results show that the rate of low birth weight infants has increased from 3.79% to 4.35% for the past seven years. The rate of preterm babies rose from 3.79% to 4.89%. The number of babies born from mothers aged 35 or more went up from 6.69% to 11.83% of the total number of the babies born. As maternal age has risen, the risks of delivering a preterm or low birth weight infant have also increased.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.77-91
• /
• 2007

In this paper, we present a symbiotic evolutionary algorithm for multi-objective optimization. The goal in multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) is to find a set of well-distributed solutions close to the true Pareto optimal solutions. Most of the existing MOEAs operate one population that consists of individuals representing the entire solution to the problem. The proposed algorithm has a two-leveled structure. The structure is intended to improve the capability of searching diverse and food solutions. At the lower level there exist several populations, each of which represents a partial solution to the entire problem, and at the upper level there is one population whose individuals represent the entire solutions to the problem. The parallel search with partial solutions at the lower level and the Integrated search with entire solutions at the upper level are carried out simultaneously. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of the existing algorithms in terms of convergence and diversity. The optimization problems with continuous variables and discrete variables are used as test-bed problems. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.181-185
• /
• 2000

This study was carried out to see whether Gastrophysa viridula (Degeer) (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae) could be used as a biological control agent for Rumex obtusifolius L., with human manipulation of the beetle population. The study was consisted of three experimental sets : Wet-Dry experiment (the wet weight Vs dry weight relationship of Rumex obtusifolius L.), Greenhouse feeding experiment, and Field experiment. There was a significant correlation between the total wet and dry weight of Rumex obtusifolius as follows : Total dry weight : -0.23542+ (0.17514${\times}$Total wet weight) ($R^2$=0.9317, p=0.047, T=16.927 (dF=21)). In the Greenhouse feeding experiment, the result was very promising. The relationship between the density unit of the beetles and the growth of the plant is given below (20 day) : Plant growth =105.8+(-34.4${\times}$Density unit) ($R^2$=0.76, p=0.13). A repeated introduction of the beetle population into the field vegetation of R. obtusifolius from April to October is suggested to see the beetle's grazing ability on the plant. This study shows that the potential grazing power of the beetle on Rumex obtusifolius was enough to defoliate the plants, but it was able to recover from its root reserves. The practical question remains as to whether repeated additions (by man) of the beetles to Rumex obtusifolius could eliminate them.