• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.999-1013
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• 2018

This study examined the effect of the perception of age-friendly environment on perceived social bonding. In particular, this study focused on the mediating effects of perception of age-integration between perception of age-friendly environment and perceived social bonding. The data were analyzed using the '2017 Ages Integration Survey' conducted by the Korea Research Foundation(SSK). A total of 997 adults from 20 to 86 ears of age were participated in this study. The perception of age-friendly environment was measured using the age-friendly city guidelines set out by WHO and perception of age-integration was measured using questions that asked about age flexibility and age diversity. Also, the social capital scale was used to measure perception of social bonding. In order to increase the reliability of the analysis results, age, gender, educational achievement and residential area were controlled. Structural Equation Modeling approach was employed to answer the research questions. The results are following. First, perception of age-friendly environment was significantly associated with perceived social bonding in a positive direction, controlling for age, gender, educational achievement and residential area. Second, perception of age-integration partially mediated the relationship between perception age-friendly environment and perceived social bonding controlling for covariates. Based on these findings, this study proposes political and practical intervention strategies to promote age-friendly environment and age-integration.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2019

Objectives Previous studies have revealed inconsistent results on amygdala volume in adult bipolar disorder (BD) patients compared to healthy controls (HC). Since the amygdala encompasses multiple subregions, the subtle volume changes in each amygdala nucleus might have not been fully reflected in the measure of the total amygdala volume, causing discrepant results. Thus, we aimed to investigate volume changes in each amygdala subregion and their association with subtypes of BD, lithium use and clinical status of BD. Methods Fifty-five BD patients and 55 HC underwent T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed volumes of the whole amygdala and each amygdala subregion, including the anterior amygdaloid area, cortico-amygdaloid transition area, basal, lateral, accessory basal, central, cortical, medial and paralaminar nuclei using the atlas in the FreeSurfer. The volume difference was analyzed using a one-way analysis of covariance with individual volumes as dependent variables, and age, sex, and total intracranial volume as covariates. Results The volumes of whole right amygdala and subregions including basal nucleus, accessory basal nucleus, anterior amygdaloid area, and cortico-amygdaloid transition area in the right amygdala of BD patients were significantly smaller for the HC group. No significant volume difference between bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder was found after the Bonferroni correction. The trend of larger volume in medial nucleus with lithium treatment was not significant after the Bonferroni correction. No significant correlation between illness duration and amygdala volume, and insignificant negative correlation were found between right central nucleus volume and depression severity. Conclusions Significant volume decrements of the whole amygdala, basal nucleus, accessory basal nucleus, anterior amygdaloid area, and cortico-amygdaloid transition area were found in the right hemisphere in adult BD patients, compared to HC group. We postulate that such volume changes are associated with altered functional activity and connectivity of amygdala nuclei in BD.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.377-384
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• 2019

Background: Inflammation is widespread in the clinical pathology and closely associated to the progress of many diseases. Triterpenoid saponins as a key group of active ingredients in Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen were demonstrated to show antiinflammatory effects. However, the chemical structures of saponins in the leaves and stems of Panax notoginseng (PNLS) are still not fully clear. Herein, the isolation, purification and further evaluation of the antiinflammatory activity of dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins from PNLS were conducted. Methods: Silica gel and reversed-phase C8 column chromatography were used. Furthermore, preparative HPLC was used as a final purification technique to obtain minor saponins with high purities. MS, NMR experiments, and chemical methods were used in the structural identifications. The antiinflammatory activities of the isolated saponins were assessed by measuring the nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharides. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the gene expressions of inflammation-related gene. Results: Eight new minor dammarane-type triterpene oligoglycosides, namely notoginsenosides LK1-LK8 (1-8) were obtained from PNLS, along with seven known ones. Among the isolated saponins, gypenoside IX significantly suppressed the nitric oxide production and inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, interleukin 10, interferon-inducible protein 10 and $interleukin-1{\beta}$. Conclusion: The eight saponins may enrich and expand the chemical library of saponins in Panax genus. Moreover, it is reported for the first time that gypenoside IX showed moderate antiinflammatory activity.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2019

Frost heave is one of the representative engineering characteristics in cold regions. In South Korea, which is located in seasonal frost area, structural damage caused by frost heave and thaw happens and the need for research on the frost heave is increasing. In this paper, newly developed transparent temperature-controllable cell is used to focus on the frost heave. Frost susceptible artificial soil is used to analyze water intake rate which is one of the important factors in frost susceptibility criteria. Frost heave rate and water intake rate have similar behavior after heave by freezing of pore water converges. O-ring installed in the upper pedestal to measure water intake rate generates side friction between the inner wall of the freezing cell and O-ring, thereby hindering frost heave. Therefore, the frost susceptibility criteria using the water intake rate is not reliable. It is appropriate to use frost heave rate which has similar behavior with water intake rate. Frost heave tests were performed under two different specimen heights. Overburden pressure, temperature gradient and dry unit weight were set under similar state. Based on laboratory testing results, frost heave is independent on the specimen height.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2021

Based on social capital theory, this study investigated the influence of the start-up founder's social competence on the start-up's access to funding sources and performance through the mediating role of the type of social network. This study aimed to examine two types of social networks empirically (i.e., personal networks and business networks) as social capital in analyzing the effect of the founder's social competence and social capital on the method of accessing funding sources. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 252 South Korean start-up founders whose businesses are based in South Korea. Path analysis and mediation effect analysis were performed by structural equation modeling(SEM) using STATA 16.1. This study examined the full mediating effect of the founder's social competence on his/her personal and business networks, respectively, and how the effect leads to different methods to approach funding sources. This is the first study in South Korea to analyze empirically how social competence has contrasting effects on personal and business networks as well as how each type of network varies in its influence on the method founders use to attract investment. This study is also significant in that it proposed a new methodology by utilizing the position generator as the measure of personal and business networks to analyze social networks in detail. The analyses of 252 survey data collected over a period of six months will be a valuable resource that may provide researchers, founders, investors, and other stakeholders in the start-up ecosystem with meaningful implications.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.383-392
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• 2022

The restoration of the Nakdong River estuary is one of the most important projects of the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea. A real-scale experiment of gate operation was executed from 2019 to 2020, and a pilot operation was performed in 2021. The gate of Nakdong River Estuary Barrier (NEB) is supposed to be continuously opened based on the experiment results. Many critical decisions should be made immediately during the experiment based on the real-time measured data and numerical analysis considering the seawater inflows. The decision-making sequence was made systematically with the accurate estimation of seawater inflow. The estimation of seawater inflow is the main research objective and the equations of seawater inflow were developed, reflecting the structural characteristics of NEB. The inflow equations were developed in two forms, overflow and underflow. ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) was used to measure seawater inflow, check the accuracy of the developed equations, and derive the flow coefficient. The comparison error of the developed equations was about 3% compared to the measured data.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2022

As the use of chemical products increases in daily life, the removal of dye waste has also emerged as an important environmental issue. This dye waste can be decomposed using a photocatalyst, and the photocatalyst can be synthesized very cost-effectively by using the sol-gel technology. The sol-gel technology is not only very useful for nanoscale film formation, but also can simply form multilayer structures. Using a multiple spin coating method, in this study, a ZnO film with a multilayered structure (3 layers, 5 layers) was formed by using zinc oxide (ZnO), which is effective in decomposing various dyes. For performance comparison, a ZnO film having a single layer structure by a single spin coating method was prepared as a control. Structural and elemental analysis of ZnO film was performed using an X-ray diffraction analyzer and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. A nanowire-like surface morphology could be observed through a scanning electron microscope. Additionally, UV-Vis spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance of UV light. The ZnO film with a five-layer structure degraded the simulated methylene blue by 49% more than the ZnO film with a single-layer structure. In conclusion, it was found that ZnO having a multilayered structure is useful as a photocatalyst that decomposes methylene blue dye more effectively.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of distress tolerance on subjective well-being and the mediating effect of experiential avoidance in the relationship between distress tolerance and subjective well-being. We conducted an online survey a total of 285 normal adults in the nation from October 21 to 24, 2015. The questionnaire was composed of a distress intolerance index, a concise measure of subjective well-being, and acceptance action questionnaire. And questionnaires were distributed and retrived by an online survey company. Collected data has been analyzed by the structural equation modeling. The correlation analysis showed that distress tolerance was positively correlated with subjective well-being, while negatively with experiential avoidance. Also, the verification of mediating effects of experiential avoidance in the relation between distress tolerance and subjective well-being indicated that experiential avoidance partly mediated the relationship at a meaningful level. Additionally, deflection correction bootstrap analysis was used to verify indirect effects and its results revealed that the mediating effect going from distress tolerance to subjective well-being passing through experiential avoidance was statistically significant. That is, distress tolerance not only influences subjective well-being directly but also influences indirectly through experiential avoidance. Finally, significance and limitations of this study were discussed along with the suggestions for further research.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.315-323
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• 2023

Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) is commonly employed in the field of forensic pathology. PMCT was mainly performed using a whole-body scan with a wide field of view (FOV), which lead to a decrease in spatial resolution due to the increased pixel size. This study aims to evaluate the potential for developing a super-resolution model based on conditional generative adversarial networks (CGAN) to enhance the image quality of CT. 1761 low-resolution images were obtained using a whole-body scan with a wide FOV of the head phantom, and 341 high-resolution images were obtained using the appropriate FOV for the head phantom. Of the 150 paired images in the total dataset, which were divided into training set (96 paired images) and validation set (54 paired images). Data augmentation was perform to improve the effectiveness of training by implementing rotations and flips. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, we used the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) and Deep Image Structure and Texture Similarity (DISTS). Obtained the PSNR, SSIM, and DISTS values of the entire image and the Medial orbital wall, the zygomatic arch, and the temporal bone, where fractures often occur during head trauma. The proposed method demonstrated improvements in values of PSNR by 13.14%, SSIM by 13.10% and DISTS by 45.45% when compared to low-resolution images. The image quality of the three areas where fractures commonly occur during head trauma has also improved compared to low-resolution images.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.75-83
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• 2023

Apart from implementing hardware solutions like raising the crest freeboard of coastal structures to efficiently counter wave-overtopping, there is a simultaneous requirement for software-driven disaster mitigation strategies. These tactics involve the swift and accurate dissemination of wave-overtopping information to the inland regions of coastal zones, enabling the regulation of evacuation procedures and movement. In this study, a method was proposed to estimate wave-overtopping by utilizing the temporal variation of wave heights exceeding the structure's crown level, with the aim of developing an on-site wave measurement system for providing wave-overtopping information in the field. Laboratory model experiments were conducted on vertical seawall structures to measure wave-overtopping volumes and wave runup heights under different wave conditions and structural freeboard variations. By assuming that the velocity of water inundation on the top of the structure during wave-overtopping events is equivalent to the long-wave velocity, an overtopping discharge coefficient was introduced. This coefficient was utilized to estimate the rate of wave-overtopping based on the temporal changes in wave runup heights measured at the top of the structure. Upon reasonably calculating the overtopping discharge coefficient, it was verified that the estimation of wave-overtopping could be achieved solely based on the wave runup heights.