• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2023

Objectives: Discussions regarding "medical blind spots" in Korea's "aging society" are continuously rising. In addition, the demand for medical attention and care for the elderly and vulnerable populations continues to increase. Given this, the government is promoting the "home healthcare service" project. This study aims to lay the foundation for promoting this project by investigating the perception of clinical Korean Medicine (KM) doctors in the "community health care" project. Methods: With the cooperation of the Association of Korean Medicine, we sent a questionnaire to all KM doctors through e-mail. The survey included personal information, awareness, appropriate disease and intervention, proper visit location, and pros and cons. Results: A total of 602 responses were collected and analyzed. Approximately 20% of the doctors answered that they were well aware of the service, while 55% responded that they did not know about it. For a visit, a KM doctor selected the appropriate diseases in the order of stroke, dementia and Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, and chronic diseases. Among treatments, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine exhibited similar results. The most common opinion was that KM doctors should schedule their visits once a week for 6-12 months, which was the most prolonged period among the given options. More than 80% (84.1%) of the doctors replied that care projects were highly essential, and about 63.8% expressed their willingness to participate in these projects. Conclusion: To provide appropriate home health care, we must raise awareness among Korean medicine doctors. In addition, the healthcare budget must be increased to provide the required support.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.119-141
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• 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the landscape of knowledge and information services that public libraries around the world have been providing since modern times. In particular, as social distancing has become routine, the contraction of cultural activities and the shift to online platforms have negatively impacted library visitation and use services, greatly reducing borrowing and reading, use of spaces and facilities, interlibrary loan services, program operations, and outreach services. Therefore, this study investigated and analyzed the current status of services provided by public libraries in Korea and abroad in response to COVID-19, and proposed practical ways to improve and expand services in response to COVID-19 based on the results of a survey of librarians' perceptions. Specifically, these include improving the online reservation system for reading and borrowing services and developing and providing various outreach services, acquiring and expanding electronic resources, expanding online program services (reading, culture, lifelong learning, etc.), strengthening library services for vulnerable populations, providing information portal services related to new infectious diseases, strengthening facilities and space provision services, preparing infectious disease response guidelines, and providing education and training to strengthen librarians' capabilities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.329-339
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aims to explore consumer awareness and usage patterns of local food in Jecheon city during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to the establishment of the Jecheon City Food Plan. Methods: Surveys were conducted from July 24 to August 24, 2021, using a combination of web-link and self-administered methods for adults living in Jecheon city (n = 250). Descriptive analysis, t-test, importance and satisfaction analysis (ISA) of local food choice attributes were performed using SPSS Statistics. Results: Participants prioritized freshness when purchasing agricultural products. The freshness of Jecheon local food was the selection attribute with the highest consumer satisfaction and could provide purchase motivation. Approximately 73.6% of respondents understood the concept of local food, and 70% were familiar with Jecheon's local food. Notably, 94.8% expressed an intention to purchase but held negative views on selling local food in other areas. The need to increase the supply of local food to vulnerable populations and public school catering was highly recognized. The ISA identified 'affordable price', 'delivery service', and 'product information' as areas requiring improvement. On the other hand, 'freshness of products', 'quality for the price', and 'support for local farmers and economy' were identified as attributes to be maintained and strengthened. Conclusions: Consumers in Jecheon city recognized local foods as more than just 'consumer goods'. Our findings suggest the need for further research on local food revitalization and more comprehensive local food planning to enhance consumer satisfaction.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2007

To develop an efficient screening method for detection of the transgene in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa spp. pekinensis) utilizing Basta spray, optimal conditions for Basta application were examined in this study. Two transgenic Chinese cabbage lines were obtained through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and used as transgenic positive controls in the Basta screening experiment. Differential concentrations of glufosinate-ammonium were sprayed into three different growth stages of 12 commercial Chinese cabbage cultivars. The results showed that no plants could survive higher than 0.05% glufosinate-ammonium, and plants at the 2-3 leaf stage were most vulnerable to glufosinate-ammonium. On the other hand, no damage was observed in the transgenic control plants. Reliability of the Basta spray method was proven by showing perfect co-segregation of the tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium and the presence of the bar gene in T₁ segregating populations of the transgenic lines, as revealed by both PCR and Southern blot analyses. Using the developed Basta screening method, we tried to investigate the transgene flow through pollen dispersal, but failed to detect any transgene-containing non-transgenic Chinese cabbages whose parents had been planted adjacent to transgenic Chinese cabbages in field conditions. However, the transgene was successfully detected using Basta spray from the non-transgenic plants bearing the transgene introduced by hand-pollination. Since the Basta spray method developed in this study is easy to apply and economical, it will be a valuable tool for understanding the mechanism of gene flow through pollen transfer and for establishing a biosafety test protocol for genetically modified (GM) Chinese cabbage cultivars.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2020

The slender shinner (Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa), a tiny freshwater fish of about 8 to 10 cm belonging to Cyprinidae, is an endangered species found only in the Han and Imjin Rivers on the Korean Peninsula. During the breeding season, this species spawns in nests of Coreoperca herzi, a predator of this species, or small crevices on rocks. This unique reproductive ecology can make this species more vulnerable to anthropogenic perturbance that can further limit the places to spawn. Here, mtDNA and microsatellite loci were analyzed to identify the genetic diversity and structure of slender shinners and further to provide the basic data necessary for the conservation planning of this species. A total of 28 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed using Illumina paired-end sequencing, and 67 slender shinners collected from three localities in the Han River were genotyped using these loci. This species showed a remarkably high level of genetic diversity with mean expected heterozygosity of 0.914 and mean allele number per locus of 27.9, and no signature of drastic demographic decline was detected. As a result of our microsatellite analysis, the genetic structure between the two stems of the Han River, North Han and South Han, was prominent. Such a genetic structure was also evident in the sequence analysis of 14 haplotypes obtained from mtDNA control region. Although slender shinners are only found in very limited areas around the world, the genetic structure indicates that there is a block of gene flow among the populations, which should be reviewed in the future if management and restoration of this species is needed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.207-223
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• 1993

Inpatients are mostly occupied in bed with restricted activity, nearly all patient populations are at risk for the occurrence of skeletal muscle atrophy due to decreased level of activity. Restriction of mobility is far greater in pediatric patients compared with adult patients since almost all the activities of daily living is performed by parents or caregivers. It could be assumed that pediatric patients are more vulnerable to skeletal muscle atrophy than adult patients, however, there have been no attempts to reduce the atrophy of developing muscle. Therefore it is important to determine the effect of exercise in developing muscle during decreased activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of periodic weight support during hindlimb suspension on the mass and cross-sectional area of Type I and II fibers in developing soleus(Type I ) muscle. To examine the effectiveness of periodic weight support activity in maintaining mass and fiber size. the hindlimb of young female Wistar rats was suspended(HS) and half of these rats walked on a treadmill for 45min / day(15min every 4h) at 5m / min at a 15 grade(HS-WS). After 7days of hindlimb suspension, soleus wet weight was 28. 57% smaller and relative soleus weight was 28. 21% smaller in comparison with con-trol rats (p〈0.05) Soleus wet weight and relative soleus weight increased by 67.72% and 71.43% each with periodic weight support activity during hindlimb suspension (p〈0.01, p〈0.005), moreover soleus wet weight and relative soleus weight of the HS -WS rats were greater than those of the control group. No change was observed in fiber type percentage of the developing soleus muscle after 1 week of hindlimb suspension plus weight support activity. Type I and II fiber cross-sectional areas of the developing soleus muscle were 50.45% and 43.39% lower in the HS group than in the control group (p〈0.0001), type I and II fiber cross-sectional areas of the developing soleus were 24.49% and 29.93% greater in the HS - WS group than in the HS rats (p〈0.0001), whereas Type I and II fiber cross-sectional areas of HS - WS group were less than those of the control group, The results suggest that periodic weight support activity can ameliorate developing soleus muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb suspension, even in type II fibers that would not have been expected to be recruited by this type of neuromuscular demand. Clinical experimental study is needed to deter-mine the effect of periodic weight bearing exercise on developing atrophied leg muscle based on these results.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 1999

During the past several decades, electricity generating plant increased with remarkable rapidity in Korea. Recently the increase has been much more rapid as the rate of industrialization has accelerated. Construction of nuclear power plants in coastal areas inevitably caused the perturbation of critical coastal habitats and thus influenced marine algal species composition. Particularly, an increase in the building of nuclear power plants led the amounts of heat discharged to increase exponentially. As far as the effects of cooling water and thermal discharges are concerned, benthic marine algae are likely to be vulnerable to a discharge. Heated effluents from nuclear power plants, with the temperature rises of 7~12$^{\circ}C$ under normal operating and design conditions, are discharged through the discharge canal and into natural water bodies. It is clear that the characteristic marine algal community is developed in the area affected by the thermal discharges; i.e. low species richness and low species diversity. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to note that elevated temperatures exert differential effects depending on the algal populations. Benthic marine algae grown at the discharge canal can be regarded as warm tolerant species. 35 species (4 blue-green, 9 green, 8 brown and 14 red algae) of marine algae occurred more than 20eye frequency at discharge canal of three nuclear power plants in the east coast during 1992 ~ 1998 and thus can be categorized as warm tolerant species in Korea. To minimize the ecological impacts of waste heat on benthic marine algae, it is recommended that, in the future, nuclear power plants will have to employ some form of closed-cycle cooling for the condensers.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.385-397
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• 2020

This study examined the reproductive health-related experiences of North Korean women defectors and their sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes, and reproductive health promotion behavior. Convergent parallel mixed methods were used. From April to July 2020, 8 North Korean women defectors in Seoul metropolitan area were recruited by snowball sampling. In addition, 175 participants in the Seoul metropolitan area, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang Province were recruited. Content analysis was conducted to analyze qualitative data, and the SPSS 23.0 program was used. Three themes were derived: scared of sex due to ignorance', 'the embarrassing and annoying sex only for duty', and had to manage myself for sex under the limited situation.'. The subject's sexual knowledge was higher in the older and married groups, and the sexual attitude was more liberal in the younger group. Reproductive health promotion behavior was more active in the high economic level, and sexual knowledge and sexual attitude showed a positive correlation. Therefore, it is necessary to provide support systems and resources from the community to encourage reproductive health promotion activities. In addition, in terms of humanitarian aid, prioritization of the reproductive health of North Korean women is required.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.783-786
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• 2015

Background: Utilizing geriatric screening tools for the identification of vulnerable older patients with cancer is important. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hospitalization risk of elderly hematologic cancer patients based on geriatric assessment and laboratory parameters. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study 61 patients with hematologic malignancies, age 65 years and older, were assessed at a hematology outpatient clinic. Standard geriatric screening tests; activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), timed up and go test (TUG), geriatrics depression scale (GDS) were administered. Demographic and medical data were obtained from patient medical records. The number of hospitalizations in the following six months was then recorded to allow analysis of associations with geriatric assessment tools and laboratory parameters. Results: The median age of the patients, 37 being males, was 66 years. Positive TUG test and declined ADL was found as significant risk factors for hospitalization (p=0.028 and p=0.015 respectively). Correlations of hospitalization with thrombocytopenia, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency were statistically significant (p=0.004, p=0.011 and p=0.05 respectively). Conclusions: In this study, geriatric conditions which are usually unrecognized in a regular oncology office visit were identified. Our study indicates TUG and ADL might be use as predictive tests for hospitalization in elderly oncology populations. Also thrombocytopenia, and vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies are among the risk factors for hospitalization. The importance of vitamin B12 and folic acid vitamin replacement should not be underestimated in this population.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.868-875
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• 2012

This study was carried out to analyze the vegetation properties, soil characteristics and ordination of Hemerocallis hongdoensis population in South Korea. The Hemerocallis hongdoensis population was classified into Mallotus japonicus dominant population, Viburnum wrightii dominant population, Melampyrum setaceum dominant population. Hemerocallis hongdoensis were mainly distributed along the coast of south-western iland of the Korean penninsula and it's population was located at an elevation of 6m to 362m. In the study sites, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable magnesium, cation exchange capacity and soil pH were 16.18~21.70%, 0.56~0.97%, 0.42~0.88mg/kg, $3.38{\sim}5.65cmol^+/kg$, $1.12{\sim}2.38cmol^+/kg$, $25.93{\sim}41.45cmol^+/kg$, and 4.45~4.86 respectively. Mallotus japonicus dominant population was found in the steep sloped area that has high percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen than other populations. Viburnum wrightii dominant population was found gentle sloped area that has low percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen. Melampyrum setaceum dominant population was found in the medium sloped area that has medium percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen. Current status of Hemerocallis hongdoensis habitats is very vulnerable with local development constantly threatening the species' survival. Thus, concrete conservation plans to protect natural habitats should be set up as soon as possible.