• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.43 no.5 s.207
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• pp.131-147
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of foreign-born Korean children's early school adjustment in the U.S. The interaction between the foreign-born Korean children in the U.S. and several of the children's microsystems, including family, school, and peer was assessed to meet this purpose. The study subjects were 43 foreign-bom Korean children who were sampled from Korean Sunday Language schools and who attended local schools in the Boston area, MA, USA. Quantitative analysis was conducted to identify which variables of interest predicted the early adjustment of this group of children. Furthermore, in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers of the children from the top and bottom groups 1) the most successful (in the top quartile) and 2) the least successful adjustment groups (in the bottom quartile) sorted by scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). The interview results were analyzed to elicit maternal perceptions/beliefs on education, in general, and those of home-school relationships, in specific. Several conclusions can be drawn from both the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results of multiple regression and path analysis showed that the children's language development predicted their adjustment, but the effects of the other two variables, peer relationships and school experiences, on the adjustment of children, were mediated through the children's language. Moreover, common themes and patterns in the responses to a series of open-ended questions emerged from the interviews with the two groups of mothers. The two mothers of the least successful group were concerned about their children's future and school success, but thev did not show anv responsive attitudes toward achieving this goal. By contrast, the mothers from the most successful group were self-determined with regard to their children's education and had strong beliefs and values on how to raise their children in the new culture. The implications were discussed.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2012

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the leading causes of cancer deaths and can be caused by environmental factors as well as genetic factors. Therefore, we developed a prediction model of CRC using genetic risk scores (GRS) and evaluated the effects of conventional risk factors, including family history of CRC, in combination with GRS on the risk of CRC in Koreans. This study included 187 cases (men, 133; women, 54) and 976 controls (men, 554; women, 422). GRS were calculated with most significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphism with CRC through a genomewide association study. The area under the curve (AUC) increased by 0.5% to 5.2% when either counted or weighted GRS was added to a prediction model consisting of age alone (AUC 0.687 for men, 0.598 for women) or age and family history of CRC (AUC 0.692 for men, 0.603 for women) for both men and women. Furthermore, the risk of CRC significantly increased for individuals with a family history of CRC in the highest quartile of GRS when compared to subjects without a family history of CRC in the lowest quartile of GRS (counted GRS odds ratio [OR], 47.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.9 to 471.8 for men; OR, 22.3; 95% CI, 1.4 to 344.2 for women) (weighted GRS OR, 35.9; 95% CI, 5.9 to 218.2 for men; OR, 18.1, 95% CI, 3.7 to 88.1 for women). Our findings suggest that in Koreans, especially in Korean men, GRS improve the prediction of CRC when considered in conjunction with age and family history of CRC.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.206-212
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• 2014

We report here on the results of evaluating the radiation doses using chest computed tomography (CT) for patients with pneumoconiosis complication. For the first time, we visited the 17 MIPs to evaluate the dose-length product (DLP, $mGy{\cdot}cm$), CT unit, and protocols of scanning and image reconstruction those is routinely used for treating patients with pneumoconiosis who have complication. All statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS ver. 19.0, Chicago, IL, USA). Mean of total DLP was $727.7mGy{\cdot}cm$, ranging from 272.0 to $1228.7mGy{\cdot}cm$. DLP from obtaining parenchymal lung images was significantly reduced than that from obtaining total lung images (555.9 vs. 707.2, p<0.001). Third quartile of total and pre-scanning DLP was 1036.1 and $504.1mGy{\cdot}cm$, respectively. Chest CT radiation doses for patients with pneumoconiosis complication are similar with korean diagnostic reference level as well as international guidelines.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.707-718
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• 2004

This study is to analyze the Probable Maximum Flood(PMF) as a part of counterplan for the disaster prevention of hydraulic structures such as dams, according to recent unfavorable weather conditions. During the period of typhoon RUSA in August 2002, the rainfall recorded in Gang-loeng Province was 880mm a day and exceeded the scale of PMP made in 2001. Accordingly, the reconsideration of hydrologic criteria for dam design was inevitable. In the design of dams for flood controls, the design flood must be determined by introducing the concept of maximum values. When the duration of design rainfall is determined, it needs to use the critical duration which causes the maximum flood by the maximum runoff. In this study, we Investigate the variation of critical duration with hydrologic parameters used in three different synthetic unit hydrographs(Clark, Nakayasu and SCS methods). As a result, the total runoff calculated from 24-hour duration is larger than that calculated from the critical duration. We calculate also the hydrographs with three different time distribution models(Huff's 4-quartile, IDF curve and Mononobe) and compare those with measured hydrograph data. From this comparison, we propose that the Huff's 4-quartile model must be used to obtain the desirable data in the hydrologic design of dams.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-105
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nonemergency, isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for high- or low-risk patients biases the assessment of the risk-adjusted mortality rates of hospitals. This study used 2002 National Health Insurance claims data for tertiary hospitals in Korea. The study sample consisted of 1,959 patients from 23 tertiary hospitals. The risk-adjustment model used the patients' biological, admission, and comorbidity data identified in the claims. The subjects were classified into high- and low-risk groups based on predicted surgical risk. The crude mortality rates and risk-adjusted mortality rates for low-risk, high-risk, and all patients in a hospital were compared based on the rank and the four intervals defined by quartile. Also, the crude mortality rates of the three groups were compared with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. The C-statistic (0.83) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test ($X^2$=11.47, p=0.18) indicated that the risk-adjustment model performed well. Presenting crude mortality rates with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted rates showed higher agreements among the three groups than using the rank or intervals of mortality rates defined by quartile in the hospital performance assessment. The crude mortality rates for the low-risk patients in 21 of the 23 hospitals were located on the same side of their 95% confidence intervals compared to that for all patients. High-risk patients and all patients differed at only one hospital. In conclusion, the impact of risk selection by hospital on the assessment results was the smallest when comparing the crude inpatient mortality rates of CABG patients with the 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. Given the increasing importance of quality improvements in Korean health policy, it will be necessary to use the appropriate method of releasing the hospital performance data to the public to minimize any unwanted impact such as risk-based hospital selection.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2019

This study compared the utility of the serum uric acid/creatinine ratio with that of uric acid as a risk predictor of metabolic syndrome. From November 2016 to October 2018, 14,190 adult men under the age of 20 years, who underwent a comprehensive health checkup at a general hospital in their metropolitan area, were included. Metabolic syndrome was assessed according to the American Heart Association/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) criteria. Abdominal obesity was based on the WHO criteria in the Western Pacific region. The serum uric acid/creatinine ratio was found to be higher in the fourth quartile than in the first quartile, with a high incidence of metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome components. On the other hand, ROC analysis revealed the serum uric acid/creatinine ratio to be a similar indicator of the metabolic syndrome risk to serum uric acid (AUC, 0.554 vs 0.566). The serum uric acid/creatinine ratio showed lower sensitivity and higher specificity than uric acid. In conclusion, the utility of the serum uric acid/creatinine ratio as an independent indicator to predict the risk of metabolic syndrome is limited, and should be used only as an auxiliary marker.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio and pulse pressure in Korean adults with hypertension. Data from 1,515 adults from the sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI-3, 2015) were analyzed. There were several key findings in the present study. First, aspartate aminotransferase (odds ratio [OR], 1.018; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002 to 1.033), alanine aminotransferase (OR, 0.982; 95% CI, 0.969 to 0.996), and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio (OR, 1.367; 95% CI, 1.027 to 1.819) were the independent factors determining high pulse pressure. Second, after adjusting for related variables [age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC)], the ORs of high pulse pressure with the 1st quartile as a reference were significantly higher in the 4th quartile of aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio [1.632 (95% CI, 1.113~2.393)]. The high pulse pressure was positively associated with aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio in Korean adults with hypertension, but was inversely associated with alanine aminotransferase.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.57-66
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• 2021

This study focuses on the issue of automatic severity classification of dysarthric speakers based on speech intelligibility. Speech intelligibility is a complex measure that is affected by the features of multiple speech dimensions. However, most previous studies are restricted to using features from a single speech dimension. To effectively capture the characteristics of the speech disorder, we extracted features of multiple speech dimensions: voice quality, prosody, and pronunciation. Voice quality consists of jitter, shimmer, Harmonic to Noise Ratio (HNR), number of voice breaks, and degree of voice breaks. Prosody includes speech rate (total duration, speech duration, speaking rate, articulation rate), pitch (F0 mean/std/min/max/med/25quartile/75 quartile), and rhythm (%V, deltas, Varcos, rPVIs, nPVIs). Pronunciation contains Percentage of Correct Phonemes (Percentage of Correct Consonants/Vowels/Total phonemes) and degree of vowel distortion (Vowel Space Area, Formant Centralized Ratio, Vowel Articulatory Index, F2-Ratio). Experiments were conducted using various feature combinations. The experimental results indicate that using features from all three speech dimensions gives the best result, with a 80.15 F1-score, compared to using features from just one or two speech dimensions. The result implies voice quality, prosody, and pronunciation features should all be considered in automatic severity classification of dysarthria.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.495-507
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined regional differences in the intake of dietary total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) and their food sources among Korean adults. We also investigated the associations of SFA intake with metabolic diseases by region. Methods: This study included 13,926 adults (≥ 19y) who participated in the 2016 ~ 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The regions were divided into urban and rural areas according to the administrative districts where the participants lived. Using dietary data obtained from a 24-h recall, intake of total fat and SFA and their food sources were assessed by region. Metabolic diseases included obesity, abdominal obesity, and elevated total cholesterol and their association with SFA intake by region were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the participants, 19.6% lived in rural areas. In urban areas, the total fat and SFA intakes were higher than in rural areas: 21.2% of energy (%E) came from total fat and 6.9%E from SFA in urban areas, whereas 18.0%E came from total fat and 5.8%E from SFA in rural areas. The percentage of participants who exceeded the dietary reference intakes for total fat and SFA in urban areas was 16.5% and 41.9%, respectively, but 43.4% of participants in rural areas showed lower intake levels for total fat compared to the reference level. Young adults did not show regional differences in fat intake, and the percentage of subjects who exceeded the reference for SFA was high both in urban (58.5%) and rural (55.7%) areas. Among middle-aged and older adults, intake of fatty acids except for n-3 fatty acid was significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. About 69% of older adults in rural areas showed a lower intake of total fat compared to the reference level. The food sources for total fat and SFA were meat, soybean oil, eggs, and milk in both areas. The intake of fat from eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and bread was higher in urban areas, but the intake of fat from white rice and coffee mix was higher in rural areas. The SFA intake was positively associated with elevated serum total cholesterol in urban areas (4th quartile vs. 1st quartile, OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.40, P for trend: 0.043), but not in rural areas. Conclusions: Regional differences in total fat and SFA intakes and their food sources were observed among Korean adults. Our findings may help plan nutritional strategies to ameliorate regional health disparities.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.399-408
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to compare the usefulness of the lipid ratio indicators for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in the elderly aged 65 years or older. From January 2018 to December 2020, 1,464 people aged 65 years or older who underwent a health checkup at a general hospital in Seoul were included. Lipid ratio indicators were measured through blood tests. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the quartiles of the lipid ratio index was confirmed by logistic regression analysis. In addition, the metabolic syndrome predictive ability and cutoff value of the lipid ratio indices were estimated with the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve. The correlation between atherogenic index of plasma(AIP) and waist circumference was the highest in both men and women(r=0.278, p<0.001 vs r=0.252, p<0.001). As for the lipid ratio indices, the incidence of metabolic syndrome was higher in the fourth quartile than in the first quartile. The area under the ROC curve(AUC) value of AIP was higher at 0.826(95% CI=0.799-0.850) and 0.852(95% CI=0.820-0.881) for men and women, respectively, compared to other lipid ratio indicators, and the optimal cutoff values for both men and women was 0.44(p<0.001). Therefore, the AIP among the lipid ratio indicators was found to be the most useful index for diagnosing metabolic syndrome in the elderly aged 65 years or older.