• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2019

Objective: Patients with COPD have a lower overall quality of life than normal people. If patients with COPD do not regularly perform physical activities, their exercise capacity is reduced. It could lead to muscle loss, and negatively affect their general physical, social, and psycho-social status. The purpose of this study was to examine association with physical activity, sedentary life time and health-related quality of life in patients with COPD. Method: Of the total of 22,948 participants surveyed in Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES 2013-2015), 8,626 participants were used for this study. Of these, under 40 years, over 80 years, missing values and abnormal values were excluded. Study variables included physical activity level, sedentary time and health-related quality of life variables. The physical activity level assessment tool was measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Sedentary time referred to the amount of sitting time without moving the body. EQ-5D (Euro Quality of Life-5 Dimensions) was used as an index of health-related quality of life. Control variables were age, gender, income level, education level, marital status, comorbidity, smoking, BMI, cough, sputum, COPD severity. For this study, descriptive analysis, T-test, ANOVA and multivariate regression analysis were performed. Results: Of the 1,092 patients with COPD, 76.1% (n=831) were male and 23.9% (n=261) were female, while 39.0% (n=2,939) were male and 61.0% (n=4,595) were female in the comparison group without COPD. The COPD group with high level of physical activity showed a high level of EQ-5D scores ($0.9349{\pm}0.11$, p <0.001). Among patients with COPD, after adjusting for control variables, physical activity and sedentary time (physical activity level, Β=0.047, p <.001), (sedentary time, Β=-0.017, p <.05) were associated with health-related quality of life. Conclusion: Patients with COPD have a higher quality of life as their physical activity increases and the quality of life decreases as the time spent sitting increases. This study suggests that public health experts should consider improving COPD patient physical activity.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.217-230
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• 2022

The adequate control of TBM face pressure is of vital importance to maintain face stability by preventing face collapse and surface settlement. An EPB shield TBM excavates the ground by applying face pressure with the excavated soil in the pressure chamber. One of the challenges during the EPB shield TBM operation is the control of face pressure due to difficulty in managing the excavated soil. In this study, the face pressure of an EPB shield TBM was predicted using the geological and operational data acquired from a domestic TBM tunnel site. Four machine learning algorithms: KNN (K-Nearest Neighbors), SVM (Support Vector Machine), RF (Random Forest), and XGB (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) were applied to predict the face pressure. The model comparison results showed that the RF model yielded the lowest RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) value of 7.35 kPa. Therefore, the RF model was selected as the optimal machine learning algorithm. In addition, the feature importance of the RF model was analyzed to evaluate appropriately the influence of each feature on the face pressure. The water pressure indicated the highest influence, and the importance of the geological conditions was higher in general than that of the operation features in the considered site.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.126-135
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• 2020

Recently, with the development of the 4th Industrial Revolution era and the popularization of technologies the maker movement is spreading worldwide in various ways for education, entrepreneurship, and solving social problems. This paper introduces a case of establishing and operating a maker space in Tanzania, East Africa, one of the developing countries. iTEC Tech-shop was established in the first half of 2018 at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, Tanzania by Innovative Technology and Energy Center (iTEC), and has been operating for nearly two years. With the allocation of empty warehouse space from NM-AIST, physical facilities were established through the purchase and installation of equipment and hand tools. Based on the advice from Idea Factory of Seoul National University and Fab-Lab Seoul, iTEC Tech-shop operational system were established. Through a total of 7 technical workshops, iTEC Tech-shop provided training courses for about 180 local personnel. In addition, the smart Techshop test-bed project was promoted in order to improve the operation level along with securing sustainability of the Techshop. The case of the iTEC Tech-shop could be a useful case for institutions or organizations promoting the maker movement to developing countries.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.37-47
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• 2022

Purpose : We aimed to investigate the effects of nutritional foods on sarcopenia prevention and physical function among the elderly living in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing customized nutrition. Methods : This study was conducted in the rural community of SCC. Participants (n=24, over age 65) were randomly assigned into a Protein group (n=12) and a Vitamin group (n=12). The protein group was given 23 g/d of protein (whey, soybean, BCAA) for 8 weeks and the Vitamin group 23 g/d of vitamin (B, C, D, E and mixed minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc) for 8 weeks. All participants had their body composition such as height, weight, skeletal muscle mass, body mass index, and body fat percentage, measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and physical function assessed using grip strength and the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Results : At the end of the intervention, there was a significant increase in skeletal muscle mass (p<.01) in the Protein group (p=.002, 4.92 %) compared to the baseline: it increased by 2.33 %. The Vitamin group had a significant increase in body fat percentage after the intervention (p=.001, 15.35 %) compared to the baseline: body fat percentage decreased by 4.49 %. There were no significant differences in left and right Grip strength/Weight, SPPB, 4-m gait speed, chair stand test, and sense of balance in both groups. Conclusion : The findings from this study suggest that 8 weeks of protein intake have a significant effect on skeletal muscle mass and body fat percentage. Protein intake helped promoting the health of the elderly in rural community during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will assist creating a foundation for providing customized nutrition for the elderly in rural community in the future.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

In this study, a new lactic acid bacterium (LAB) that could produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was isolated from Oenanthe javanica (water celery) and identified as an Enteroccoccus casseliflavus strain. Until recently, there have been many studies on the gamma-aminobutyric acid producing lactic acid bacterium, as well as on some lactic acid bacterium in Enteroococcs genus, but none on the species E. casseliflavus. Therefore, in the purpose of finding the optimal conditions for GABA production of E. casseliflavus PL05, the effects of several conditions including the type of mediums, growth temperatures, initial pH, growth time, L-mono sodium glutamate (MSG) concentration, and carbon source were tested. The study revealed that the PL05 strain grew better in the Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) medium than in the Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) or Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) medium. Also, similar results were obtained with GABA production conditions. As a result of analysis on the GABA production yield by concentration of MSG, a GABA substrate, the highest production was found at 7% of MSG concentration. However, since similar level of production was found at 5%, it is considered to be more efficient to use 5% MSG concentration. The analysis on the growth and GABA production yield by carbon sources showed the highest results when maltose was used. From the final test under the optimal conditions found, 140.06±0.71 mM of GABA was produced over 24 hours with the conversion rate of 78.95%. Lastly, from the sensitivity analysis on the 10 different antibiotics, including vancomycin, it was found that there were not confirmed cases of resistance.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.599-608
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• 2022

There has been criticism that the government-led makerspace did not reflect the actual demand of makers, so there was a limit to performance creation. In this regard, the study aims to diagnose the current status and problems of makerspace and to suggest the implication to respond to policy demand. To this end, we analyzed the current status of makerspace by utilizing the government documents. Then, we conducted a survey of SMEs related to ICT devices that experienced makerspace, and analyzed their opinions on D·N·A technology demand, management difficulties, and governments' support policies. As results, the study proposed several improvement measures to upgrade makerspace as a digital conversion platform as follows. First, due to the nature of the existing industry for introducing D·N·A technology, there is a limit for companies to enter the market on their own, so comprehensive support from the government is needed. Second, it is necessary to establish and expand an empirical test bed for the development of new products and services so that various types of metaverse contents can be discovered and digital transformation convergence models of existing businesses can be derived. Third, by modifying the support method to operate the makerspace as a platform that implements the government-led start-up support policy, boldly transfer what the private sector can do well to the private sector. The participants of Industry·University·Institute Collaboration should freely share ideas and help the common problem be solved. Based on the problems and the findings for improvement, it is expected that the current makerspace would be upgraded to a digital conversion platform suitable for the demand of the field.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1568-1576
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• 2021

Here, we conducted the study on the possibility of using FK-13, a short analog of human-derived antibacterial peptide LL-37, as a cosmetic preservative to discover a natural cosmetic preservative that is safe for human body. For the purpose, FK-13 composed of 13 amino acids was synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis, and purified using reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The purity and molecular weight were confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. FK-13 showed high antimicrobial activity on the three gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis), the three gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and also even the fungus Candida glabrata. FK-13 had a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, showing a suitability as a cosmetic preservative. In addition, FK-13 showed high thermostability and higher antibacterial activity in a comparative test with existing natural herbal cosmetic and chemical preservatives. Therefore, as FK-13 is a safe material and has high antibacterial activity at a low concentration, it is likely to be applied as a peptide natural cosmetic preservative that can replace existing chemical preservatives.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.5-16
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• 2009

The is study is to evaluate the small strain shear modulus ($G_{max}$) of Busan clay using in-situ penetration tests. A series of dilatometer tests (DMT) and piezocone penetration tests (CPTu) are performed at Busan newport and Noksan sites, and hybrid oedometer tests are also carried out on the specimens obtained from both sites. The $G_{max}$ is evaluated from the shear wave velocity ($V_s$) measured by the bender elements installed at the boundary of oedometer cell. By analyzing these data, the relationship of $G_{max}$ and state variables, such as confined stress and void ratio, is developed. The analysis of lab and in-situ test results reveals that the ratio of $G_{max}$ to $q_t$ is inversely proportional to the plasticity index while the ratio of $G_{max}$ to $E_D$ has a linear relationship with ($I/I_D$)$(p_a/{\sigma}'_v)^{0.5}$. Two correlations suggested in this study, based on CPT and DMT results, appear to provide reasonable predictions of the small strain shear modulus.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.376-384
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• 2023

Background: Hepatic lipid disorder impaired mitochondrial homeostasis and intracellular redox balance, triggering development of non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD), while effective therapeutic approach remains inadequate. Ginsenosides Rc has been reported to maintain glucose balance in adipose tissue, while its role in regulating lipid metabolism remain vacant. Thus, we investigated the function and mechanism of ginsenosides Rc in defending high fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. Methods: Mice primary hepatocytes (MPHs) challenged with oleic acid & palmitic acid were used to test the effects of ginsenosides Rc on intracellular lipid metabolism. RNAseq and molecular docking study were performed to explore potential targets of ginsenosides Rc in defending lipid deposition. Wild type and liver specific sirtuin 6 (SIRT6, 50721) deficient mice on HFD for 12 weeks were subjected to different dose of ginsenosides Rc to determine the function and detailed mechanism in vivo. Results: We identified ginsenosides Rc as a novel SIRT6 activator via increasing its expression and deacetylase activity. Ginsenosides Rc defends OA&PA-induced lipid deposition in MPHs and protects mice against HFD-induced metabolic disorder in dosage dependent manner. Ginsenosides Rc (20mg/kg) injection improved glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, oxidative stress and inflammation response in HFD mice. Ginsenosides Rc treatment accelerates peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α, 19013)-mediated fatty acid oxidation in vivo and in vitro. Hepatic specific SIRT6 deletion abolished ginsenoside Rc-derived protective effects against HFD-induced NAFLD. Conclusion: Ginsenosides Rc protects mice against HFD-induced hepatosteatosis by improving PPAR-α-mediated fatty acid oxidation and antioxidant capacity in a SIRT6 dependent manner, and providing a promising strategy for NAFLD.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2022

To improve the performance of aluminum-air batteries, it is very important to understand the effect of electrolytes on the electrochemical properties of electrodes. In this study, the effects of electrolyte cations on the electrochemical redox reactions proceeding at the negative and positive electrodes were investigated using electrolytes having the same anion but different cations such as NaCl, LiCl, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂. It was confirmed by discharge test, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis that electrolyte cations affect the discharge potential and specific capacity of the electrode. Precipitates were formed on the surface of the positive electrode by Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions, resulting in degradation of the performance of the positive electrode. In addition, Ca²⁺ ions passivated the negative electrode and accelerated the performance degradation. This suggests that the positive ions of the electrolyte have different effects on the electrochemical performance of the positive and negative electrodes.