• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2003

The main purposes of this study were to investigate the content of health behaviors and to examine factors influencing the health behaviors of the elderly. Data regarding the health behavior of 126 people over 65 years of age living in community settings were used. All subjects were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic variables, health behaviors, present chronic disease, subjective health status, a scale for worthy life, a scale for self-esteem, and a scale for loneliness. Health behaviors included 27questions on diet, exercise, stress-coping, smoking, drinking, a regular medical check-up, social activities, etc. The data analysis procedure included stepwise regression using health behavior as the dependent variable, and sociodemographics, illness, and psychosocial variables as independent variables. Stepwise regression revealed that factors such as feelings of worthy life($\beta$＝-0.350, p＜0.0001), communicating with otjers or the lack there of ($\beta$＝0.183, p＜0.05), and self-esteem($\beta$＝0.196, p＜0.05) were independently and significantly associated with health behaviors. For example, individuals who showed higher levels of worthy life and who had confiding relationships with others tended to practice more health behaviors. Subjects who had a higher level of self-esteem showed the same tendency. These results suggest the necessity of a intervention that considers psychosocial aspects should be included in care of the elderly so as to promote positive health behavior.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2016

Although the state of medicine in North Korea is of great interest, there is little information, if any, about the present state of medicine in North Korea. Even North Korea's laws and regulations on medicine are not publicly available. It is plausible that the dictator's commands or the policy of the Communist Party may be superior to the nation's constitution and laws on medical education and much more. Information is only available from a limited number of publications and mainly from the statements of refugees, which differ greatly among themselves. No one refugee could provide authoritative data or information because they were never in the position to see the larger picture or have experience over the long term. However, what is known is that the major health professions in North Korea include physicians (medical doctors), stomatologists (oral doctors), 'Koryo' doctors (doctors of Korean traditional medicine), midwives, and nurses. The names and the founding year of each of the regular medical schools are listed along with the change and restoration of names of schools. It is known that there have been quasi-physicians and semi-physicians. However, the reasons for any changes that have taken place also remain unknown. The educational system, curriculum, and even the number of years of training needed to qualify to become a physician have varied from time to time.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.347-355
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• 2019

As a solution to the growing concern on the global warming, researches are being actively carried out to apply carbon dioxide capture and storage technology to power generation systems. In this study, the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) adopting oxy-combustion carbon capture was modeled and the effect of replacing the conventional air separation unit (ASU) with the ion transport membrane (ITM) on the net system efficiency was analyzed. The ITM-based system was predicted to consume less net auxiliary power owing to an additional nitrogen expander. Even with a regular pressure ratio which is 21, the ITM-based system would provide a higher net efficiency than the optimized ASU-based system which should be designed with a very high pressure ratio around 90. The optimal net efficiency of the ITM-based system is more than 3% higher than that of the ASU-based system. The influence of the operating pressure and temperature of the ITM on system efficiency was predicted to be marginal.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses and the mothers of hospitalized children perceived their partnership and identify the detailed differences in the common domains of partnership between them. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design with semi-structured and open-ended interviews was used. Interviews with mothers of hospitalized children and nurses in the PICU were conducted at a national university hospital in South Korea. Results: Five integrated categories were identified concerning nurses' and mothers' perceptions of partnership. Five common domains were derived by merging the partnership categories perceived by each PICU mother and nurse: expectation of trust, sharing and communication, participation in care, equality in the relationship, and coordination of opinion However, there were significant differences in the composition of the categories of these common domains. Conclusion: These results may facilitate more effective partnerships between parents and PICU nurses. Efforts should be taken to promote the formation of trust between nurses and parents and create an environment that is conductive to regular open communication in particular, steps should be taken to reduce gaps in awareness concerning this partnership and information sharing, nursing methods, and decision-making.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 2024

Objectives: Children with disabilities may exhibit a multitude of symptoms, and treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach for a satisfactory outcome. Lack of awareness among physicians, lack of referral, and lack of inter-sectoral coordination have hindered paediatric practice in Tamil Nadu, a state in India with a striking childhood disability rate that warrants a timely interdisciplinary approach. However, the perspectives of paediatricians on paediatric physiotherapy are unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the perspectives of practicing paediatric physicians in Chennai on the role of physiotherapy in paediatrics. Methods: For an in-depth exploration, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in person with 10 paediatricians. Audio from the sessions was recorded and transcribed, and data saturation was achieved through iterative analysis. Results: A grounded theory analysis of the results yielded 5 domains under which the perspectives and expectations of the physicians were described, along with the barriers experienced by patients' parents as explained by their paediatrician. The responses highlighted deficits in awareness, structural support, accessibility and direct communication between physicians and physiotherapists. Conclusions: Paediatric physicians have different opinions, and some ignorance persists concerning paediatric physiotherapy. This study warrants a proper structure of the paediatric rehabilitation unit and regular interdisciplinary meetings and focus group discussions to increase access for parents and improve patient outcomes.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.527-538
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• 2002

Body antioxidant status is an important factor in the prevention of many chronic diseases caused by oxidative stress, especially in the elderly and is affected by health-related habits, such as smoking, drinking and regular physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these health-related habits and plasma antioxidant status in the elderly. Plasma antioxidant status was examined by determining plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C, A, E, $\beta$ -carotene), total antioxidant status (TAS) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) . The subjects included 225 elderly persons aged over 60 yews (63 males, 162 females) living in the Ulsan area. They were interviewed to collect data on their general characteristics and health behaviors such as smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption by means of questionnaires. Their dietary intakes were obtained by means of semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) The study population was divided into two or three groups according to their smoking, drinking, and exercise status. The ratio of smoker, drinker and exerciser was 16.7%, 31.0% and 44.2% respectively. The dietary antioxidant vitamin intakes were not significantly different among groups of smoking and drinking status, but tended to be higher in non-smokers and non-drinkers than in smokers and drinkers. Plasma vitamin C and $\beta$ -carotene levels were significantly higher in non-smokers, but Plasma vitamin A and TBARS levels were significantly lower in non-smokers than in smokers. Plasma TAS was not significantly different among the smoking groups, but showed a tendency to decrease with an increase in the number of packyear. Plasma vitamin C and $\beta$ -carotene levels of the non-drinkers were higher than those of drinkers and past-drinkers, but plasma vitamin A, C, E, TAS and TBARS showed no difference among the groups of drinker. All vitamin intakes of the exercisers were slightly higher than those of the non-exercisers, but vitamin C intake was significantly higher in female exercisers than in non-exercisers. Plasma $\beta$ -carotene levels were significantly higher in male exercisers and plasma vitamin A, C, E, TAS and TBARS levels tended to be higher in exercisers than in non-exercisers. These results suggested that change to non-smoker, modulation of alcohol consumption and regular exercise could enhance antioxidant defences against reactive oxygen species and might increase the likelihood of a healthier life span.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.1101-1121
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• 2016

Base isolation, one of the popular seismic protection approaches proven to be effective in practical applications, has been widely applied worldwide during the past few decades. As the techniques mature, it has been recognised that, the biggest issue faced in base isolation technique is the challenge of great base displacement demand, which leads to the potential of overturning of the structure, instability and permanent damage of the isolators. Meanwhile, drain, ventilation and regular maintenance at the base isolation level are quite difficult and rather time- and fund- consuming, especially in the highly populated areas. To address these challenges, a number of efforts have been dedicated to propose new isolation systems, including segmental building, additional storey isolation (ASI) and mid-storey isolation system, etc. However, such techniques have their own flaws, among which whipping effect is the most obvious one. Moreover, due to their inherent passive nature, all these techniques, including traditional base isolation system, show incapability to cope with the unpredictable and diverse nature of earthquakes. The solution for the aforementioned challenge is to develop an innovative vibration isolation system to realise variable structural stiffness to maximise the adaptability and controllability of the system. Recently, advances on the development of an adaptive magneto-rheological elastomer (MRE) vibration isolator has enlightened the development of adaptive base isolation systems due to its ability to alter stiffness by changing applied electrical current. In this study, an innovative semi-active storey isolation system inserting such novel MRE isolators between each floor is proposed. The stiffness of each level in the proposed isolation system can thus be changed according to characteristics of the MRE isolators. Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm type II (NSGA-II) with dynamic crowding distance (DCD) is utilised for the optimisation of the parameters at isolation level in the system. Extensive comparative simulation studies have been conducted using 5-storey benchmark model to evaluate the performance of the proposed isolation system under different earthquake excitations. Simulation results compare the seismic responses of bare building, building with passive controlled MRE base isolation system, building with passive-controlled MRE storey isolation system and building with optimised storey isolation system.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.125-132
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• 2011

Objectives : This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of extract from Citri Pericarpium (CP) on lipid-lowering effect in semi-healthy subjects with increased serum levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride. Methods : A experimental group (n=45) and placebo group (n=46) were randomly established based on the plasma lipid profiles (triglyceride, total cholesterol etc.) in the semi-healthy subjects, then all subjects randomly took experimental or placebo capsules, which contain 1,200 mg of CP or the same dose of soluble starch per day with regular meals for 8 weeks by double-blind method. Results : One-hundred forty (140) subjects were screened, then 91 subjects enrolled in the study. No serious adverse events were reported for trial period. The CP treatment showed statistically significant decrease in serum levels of triglyceride both at 4-weeks (p<0.01) and at 8-weeks (p=0.0001). Futhermore, there was significant difference in the triglyceride levels between CP-treated and placebo group. The CP-treated but not placebo group, experienced decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol at 8-weeks. Then there was no significant difference in the total cholesterol levels between the two groups. In addition, statistically significant difference of AST, ALT, ${\gamma}$-GT serum levels wasn't shown before and after trial in two groups. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that CP can significantly suppress the elevated triglyceride but not total cholesterol level. Therefore, CP may play a role in the improvement of blood lipid levels, as an effective functional food.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.213-222
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• 2019

Milk and dairy products are the high value foods for the elderly population. In particular, fermented milk is the best source of calcium for people in the specific age group of over 79 years. It provides a good source of protein. Regular exercise and active lifestyle are recommended to slow down the muscle loss. However, exercising without proper nutrient intake is simply not sufficient at this age. Milk and dairy products provide the iron and protein content required for effective exercise-assisted growth. Milk nutrients have the advantage of being produced in various food forms, such as liquid, semi-solid, and powder types. Fat-soluble vitamins such as retinol and vitamin K can be encapsulated using various technologies for milk and dairy products. Using the encapsulation method, spray drying and fluidized-bed coating have been used for adding the micro-nutrients to the food. Microencapsulation technology is being applied in case of the fermented dairy products too. In particular, various wall materials are being developed to enhance the viability of probiotics. In the near future, advanced high-efficiency technologies that can effectively nourish the dairy products with nutrients will be developed to produce targeted high-nutrition value food for the elderly.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.795-800
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• 2006

In order to examine nutritional and behavioral risk factors of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korean preschoolers, we analyzed data on 144 children aged 3-6 years with AD and their 434 healthy counterparts. The data included breast-feeding history, current weight, food behaviors assessed by the Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA), food intake by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and behavior problems by the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scale (PKBS). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed after controlling for preschool location and child's age, gender and total energy intake, as appropriate. There was no group difference of child and household characteristics. Breastfeeding history was related to lower AD risk (OR = 0.63, 95% Cl = 0.40-0.99), yet no statistically significant association was found with overweight status. Regarding food behaviors, AD risk was lower in children who drank milk at least one cup per day (OR = 0.52, 95% Cl = 0.35-0.78) and had regular meals (OR = 0.62, 95% Cl =0.42-0.92). Moreover, there were lower risks of AD in the second (OR =0.48, 95% Cl = 0.28-0.82) and the highest (OR = 0.55, 95% Cl = 0.32-0.94) intake quartiles as compared with the lowest quartile of kimchi intake. Similarly, AD risk was lower in the highest quartile of rice (OR = 0.51 Cl = 0.28-0.93) and the second quartile of fruit (OR =0.45, 95% Cl = 0.25-0.82) intakes. AD children had more problems in social interaction (OR = 1.97,95% Cl = 1.26-3.07) and independence (OR = 1.60, 95% Cl = 1.01 -2.54) measures than the healthy controls. Likewise, AD children tended to show more problem behaviors such as anxiety (OR = 1.63, 95% Cl = 0.99-2.69). Our results suggest that nutritional and behavioral dimensions are related to AD risk, yet the case control study design may preclude generalization of these results.