• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.68-81
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• 2021

The agricultural ecosystem is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to search for climate change adaptation options which mitigate GHG emissions while maintaining crop yield, it is advantageous to integrate multiple models at a high spatial resolution. The objective of this study was to develop a tool to support integrated assessment of climate change impact b y coupling the DSSAT model and the DNDC model. DNDC Regional Input File Tool(DRIFT) was developed to prepare input data for the regional mode of DNDC model using input data and output data of the DSSAT model. In a case study, GHG emissions under the climate change conditions were simulated using the input data prepared b y the DRIFT. The time to prepare the input data was increased b y increasing the number of grid points. Most of the process took a relatively short time, while it took most of the time to convert the daily flood depth data of the DSSAT model to the flood period of the DNDC model. Still, processing a large amount of data would require a long time, which could be reduced by parallelizing some calculation processes. Expanding the DRIFT to other models would help reduce the time required to prepare input data for the models.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.23-41
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of simultaneous dual-task training to assess executive function in older adults. Methods : We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and RISS databases of publicated studies in the past decade. Seven studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Qualitative assessment and meta-analysis were performed for the seven studies. Results : A randomized controlled trial design was used in the selected studies, and PEDro Scores above seven were obtained. The Trial Making Test (TMT) evaluated the effects of dual-task training on executive function in four studies. The Color Trail Test (CTT) was used in two studies, and Stroop test was used in three studies. The effect size for total executive function was 0.38, which was small. The effect sizes for TMT and CTT were 0.37. Stroop Test was 0.34, demonstrating that their effect sizes were also small. Only significant effects in total executive function, TMT, and CTT showed significant effects (all p<0.05). Conclusion : This study confirmed that dual-task training was effective in improving executive function in older adults. To improve the effectiveness of dual-task training, the difficulty of the dual-task training should be considered. It is also necessary to implement assessments that can evaluate performance under dual-task conditions as well as conventional test tools for executive function. In the future, dual-task training could be used as an appropriate intervention for executive function in older adults to delay the onset of dementia.

• CELLMED
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.13.1-13.9
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• 2021

Background and Objective: Nux-vomica based traditional Unani formulation, Habb-e-Azaraqi (HAZ) is an important drug used by Unani physicians since several decades. It possesses Muqawwi-i-A'sab (nervine tonic), Muharrik-i-A'sab (nervine stimulant) properties and is an effective treatment option for diseases like Laqwa (facial palsy), Falij (paralysis), Niqris (gout) and Waja'al-Mafasil (arthritis) etc. The aim of the study is to access and provide information of HAZ for its TLC, HPTLC Fingerprinting defining its clear qualitative perspective and acute oral toxicity evaluation for its safety assessment which was not done earlier, thus contributing in the field of research. Materials and Methods: The chief ingredient, nux-vomica was detoxified as per method mentioned in Unani Pharmacopeia before its use in formulation. TLC and HPTLC was developed under four detection system i.e., UV 366nm, UV 254nm, exposure to iodine vapours and after derivatization with anisaldehyde sulphuric acid. Acute toxicity studies were performed as per OECD Guidelines 425 at a limit dose of 2000 mg/kg. Observations were done for signs of toxicity, body weight, and feed consumption at regular intervals followed by haematological and biochemistry evaluation. Results: The generated data proved the authenticity and established the TLC and HPTLC profile of the formulation. Acute toxicity revealed no significant differences in HAZ-treated animals with respect to body weight gain, feed consumption, haematology, clinical biochemistry evaluation. No significant gross pathological observation was noticed in necropsy. Conclusion: Data of the present study is substantial and scientific proof of HAZ in terms of standardization and toxicity study that can be utilize in future research activities.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.222-234
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• 2021

Airborne-pests can be introduced into Korea from overseas areas by wind, which can cause considerable damage to major crops. Meteorological models have been used to estimate the wind trajectories of airborne insects. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of input settings on the prediction of areas where airborne pests arrive by wind. The wind trajectories were predicted using the HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. The HYSPLIT model was used to track the wind dispersal path of particles under the assumption that brown plant hopper (Nilaparvata lugens) was introduced into Korea from sites where the pest was reported in China. Meteorological input data including instantaneous and average wind speed were generated using meso-scale numerical weather model outputs for the domain where China, Korea, and Japan were included. In addition, the calculation time intervals were set to 1, 30, and 60 minutes for the wind trajectory calculation during early June in 2019 and 2020. It was found that the use of instantaneous and average wind speed data resulted in a considerably large difference between the arrival areas of airborne pests. In contrast, the spatial distribution of arrival areas had a relatively high degree of similarity when the time intervals were set to be 1 minute. Furthermore, these dispersal patterns predicted using the instantaneous wind speed were similar to the regions where the given pest was observed in Korea. These results suggest that the impact assessment of input settings on wind trajectory prediction would be needed to improve the reliability of an approach to predict regions where airborne-pest could be introduced.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.96-106
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• 2022

Objective : The most common complication of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is cage subsidence and maintenance of disc height affects postoperative clinical outcomes. We considered cage subsidence as an inappropriate indicator for evaluating preservation of disc height. Thus, this study aimed to consider patients with complications such as reduced total disc height compared to that before surgery and evaluate the relevance of several factors before ACDF. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 40 patients who underwent stand-alone single-level ACDF using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage at our institution between January 2012 and December 2018. Our study population comprised 19 male and 21 female patients aged 24-70 years. The minimum follow-up period was 1 year. Twenty-seven patients had preoperative bone mineral density (BMD) data on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Clinical parameters included sex, age, body mass index, smoking history, and prior medical history. Radiologic parameters included the C2-7 cobb angle, segmental angle, sagittal vertical axis, disc height, and total intervertebral height (TIH) at the preoperative and postoperative periods. Cage decrement was defined as the reduction in TIH at the 6-month follow-up compared to preoperative TIH. To evaluate the bone quality, Hounsfield unit (HU) value was calculated in the axial and sagittal images of conventional computed tomography. Results : Lumbar BMD values and cervical HU values were significantly correlated (r=0.733, p<0.001). We divided the patients into two groups based on cage decrement, and 47.5% of the total patients were regarded as cage decrement. There were statistically significant differences in the parameters of measuring the HU value of the vertebra and intraoperative distraction between the two groups. Using these identified factors, we performed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Based on the ROC curve, the cut-off point was 530 at the HU value of the upper cortical and cancellous vertebrae (p=0.014; area under the curve [AUC], 0.727; sensitivity, 94.7%; specificity, 42.9%) and 22.41 at intraoperative distraction (p=0.017; AUC, 0.722; sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 57.9%). Using this value, we converted these parameters into a bifurcated variable and assessed the multinomial regression analysis to evaluate the risk factors for cage decrement in ACDF. Intraoperative distraction and HU value of the upper vertebral body were independent factors of postoperative subsidence. Conclusion : Insufficient intraoperative distraction and low HU value showed a strong relationship with postoperative intervertebral height reduction following single stand-alone PEEK cage ACDF.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2021

The high-level Space Situational Awareness (SSA) objective is to provide to the users dependable, accurate and timely information in order to support risk management on orbit and during re-entry and support safe and secure operation of space assets and related services. Therefore the risk assessment for the re-entry of space objects should be managed nationally. In this research, the Software for Re-Entry Prediction of space objects (SREP) was developed for national SSA system. In particular, the rate of change of the drag coefficient is estimated through a newly proposed Drag Scale Factor Estimation (DSFE), and is used for high-precision orbit propagator (HPOP) up to an altitude of 100 km to predict the re-entry time and position of the space object. The effectiveness of this re-entry prediction is shown through the re-entry time window and ground track of space objects falling in real events, Grace-1, Grace-2, Tiangong-1, and Chang Zheng-5B Rocket body. As a result, through analysis 12 hours before the final re-entry time, it is shown that the re-entry time window and crash time can be accurately predicted with an error of less than 20 minutes.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.94-106
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• 2022

Background: The efforts to build more "people centered," "patient centered" health system has been emerging all over the world. Aligning with it, the Korean government is conducing the survey called "Medical Service Experience Survey (MSES)." There are critics, however, that MSES is not scrutinizing the medical experiences of patients in various healthcare settings. For this reason, this study aims to perform an empirical analysis of the differences in answers of patients responding to various healthcare settings. Methods: There are two steps in this study. First, explanatory analysis is conducted to compare the tendency of statistical concentration on questionnaires by divided healthcare settings. Second, confirmative analysis is carried out to evaluate the construct validity, reliability, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire in each healthcare setting. The raw data of MSES, which was conducted in 2020 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea and the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs is used. Results: As a result of exploratory factor analysis for all outpatients, the items were classified into four factors statistically: "doctor experience," "nurse experience," "outpatient service experience," and "patient satisfaction." It was confirmed that the reliability of all factors extracted was secured. However, for patients who visited hospitals, questionnaires related to personal privacy, such as "experiences on medical staffs considering physical exposure" or "experiences related to personal information exposure," were answered in conjunction with items of "nurse experience." Besides, patients responded that administrative elements of medical services, such as "experiences of comfort in medical institutions" and "experiences of satisfactory administrative services," were related to the items of "nurse experience." The answers of patients who visited traditional medical hospitals and clinics about "doctor experience" and "nurse experience" were not discerned statistically, and the answers to "doctor experience," "nurse experience," and "medical institution experience" were entangled with the responses of patients who visited dental hospitals and clinics. On the other hand, as a result of the confirmatory factor analysis, it was found that the inquiries of MSES generally had intensive validity. Conclusion: The collection of objective and scientific data is the prominent component to enlighten the patient-centered healthcare system alongside with change of the worldwide paradigm of measuring the healthcare system performance as follows the transition of perspective of health care from provider-centered to patient-centered. This study empirically shows that the patient experience can vary as the healthcare settings. Furthermore, to make an advance in measuring the experience of patients with medical services, this article proposes the deliberate consideration of the different kinds of healthcare settings and articulate design of the survey.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.765-771
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• 2022

Objective : Stent-assisted coil embolization (SAC) has been increasingly used to treat various types of intracranial aneurysms. Delayed thromboembolic complications are major concerns regarding this procedure, so dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is needed. However, clinicians vary the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after SAC, and no randomized study has been performed. This study aims to compare the safety and efficacy of long-term (12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy and short-term dual antiplatelet therapy (6 months) after SAC for patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). Methods : This is a prospective, randomized and multicenter trial to investigate the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after SAC in patients with UIAs. Subjects will receive dual antiplatelet therapy for 6 months (short-term group) or 12 months (long-term group) after SAC. The primary endpoint is the assessment of thromboembolic complications between 1 and 18 months after SAC. We will enroll 528 subjects (264 subjects in each group) and perform 1 : 1 randomization. This study will involve 14 top-performing, high-volume Korean institutions specializing in coil embolization. Results : The trial will begin enrollment in 2022, and clinical data will be available after enrollment and follow-up. Conclusion : This article describes that the aim of this prospective randomized multicenter trial is to compare the effect of short-term (6 months) and long-term (12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy on UIAs in patients undergoing SAC, and to find the optimal duration.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the importance, performance, and educational needs of sensory integration intervention competency for newly employed therapists who use sensory integration intervention. Methods : The general characteristics, importance, performance, and educational needs of sensory integration intervention competency were investigated for therapists with less than three years of experience in sensory integration intervention. Educational needs and rankings were identified through Borich needs analysis. Results : The competency cluster that newly employed therapists perceived as the most important but with the lowest performance level was "Expertise," and the demand of the "Expertise" competency cluster was also the highest in the analysis of educational needs. The difference in importance and performance in all sub-competencies was statistically significant. In the Borich needs analysis, the rank of educational needs was derived as follows: "Evaluation skill" (5.56), "Analysis skill" (5.50), and "Overall knowledge of occupational therapy" (5.47). Conclusion : It was found that the newly employed therapist using sensory integration intervention recognized professional competency as the most important, while also recognizing that their professional competency was low. Accordingly, education to enhance professional competency was most needed. This study presented basic data for the direction of education to strengthen competency in consideration of the educational needs of newly employed therapists.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2022

Objectives Objective of this study is to investigate the role of paraspinal muscles by examining the correlation between slip percentage (SP) of spondylolisthesis and fatty infiltration of lumbar paraspinal muscle. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 45 patients diagnosed with spondylolisthesis based on medical records. Using T2-weighted axial magnetic resonance imaging, cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of psoas major (PM), multifidus (MU) and erector spinae (ES) were calculated and divided by CSA of lower level vertebral body (VB). SP was measured using sagittal T2-weighted images. Correlation of SP with muscle relative cross-sectional area (RCSA) and muscle fatty infiltration by Goutallier classification was respectively analyzed using Spearman correlation. Statistic assessment conducted by Wilcoxon signed rank test and paired t-test using program GraphPad prism 5 (GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Results Spondylolisthesis forward slip percentage by Taillard's method was negatively associated with both side MU RCSAs. No significant correlation was found between PM RCSA, ES RCSA and SP. Forward slippage was significantly correlated with fatty infiltration of lumbar paraspinal muscle measured by Goutallier classification. Conclusions This study is to understand the role of paraspinal muscle affecting spinal instability by investigating correlation between statistical deviation of lumbar muscle characters (RCSA, fatty infiltration of lumbar muscle) and SP. We found that spondylolisthesis SP is positively related to fatty infiltration of lumbar paraspinal muscle. and is negatively associated with both side MU RCSAs.