• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.57-73
• /
• 2008

Nitrate concentrations were measured up to 49 mg/L (as $NO_3$-N) and 22% of the samples exceeded drinking water standard in shallow and bedrock groundwater of the northern Nonsan area. Nitrate concentrations showed a significant difference among land use groups. To predict nitrate concentration in groundwater, multiple regression analysis was carried out using hydrogeologic parameters of soil media, topography and land use which were categorized as several groups, well depth and altitude, and field parameters of temperature, pH, DO and EC. Hydrogeologic parameters were quantified as area proportions of each category within circular buffers centering at wells. Regression was performed to all the combination of variables and the most relevant model was selected based on adjusted coefficient of determination (Adj. $R^2$). Regression using hydrogelogic parameters with varying buffer radii show highest Adj. $R^2$ at 50m and 300m for shallow and bedrock groundwater, respectively. Shallow groundwater has higher Adj. $R^2$ than bedrock groundwater indicating higher susceptibility to hydrogeologic properties of surface environment near the well. Land use and soil media was major explanatory variables for shallow and bedrock groundwater, respectively and residential area was a major variable in both shallow and bedrock groundwater. Regression involving hydrogeologic parameters and field parameters showed that EC, paddy and pH were major variables in shallow groundwater whereas DO, EC and natural area were in bedrock groundwater. Field parameters have much higher explanatory power over the hydrogeologic parameters suggesting field parameters which are routinely measured can provide important information on each well in assessment of nitrate contamination. The most relevant buffer radii can be applied to estimation of travel time of contaminants in surface environment to wells.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.764-772
• /
• 2002

Purpose : Obesity is closely related to insulin resistance, compensatory hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidemia in adults. We identified the effect of obesity measured by BMI and insulin resistance on dyslipidemia in children and adolescents. Methods : The fasting serum insulin, glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were measured and insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) was calculated in 35 children with simple obesity(age :$10.6{\pm}2.8$ years; male 20, female 15; BMI : $27.1{\pm}5.4kg/m^2$). Results : The hypertriglyceridemia(37%), hyperinsulinemia(54%) and HDL-hypocholesterolemia(5.7%) were observed. HOMA-IR was well expressed by fasting insulin. As BMI increased, there was a statistically significant increase in insulin resistance and insulin level in both sexes. BMI was not related with lipid profile in both sexes. Triglyceride was correlated with only insulin level and insulin resistance index in boys. In girls, there was no correlation between triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and insulin(insulin resistance). Conclusion : These results suggest that hypertriglyceridemia was dependent on insulin resistance in pre-adult males. Monitoring of insulin resistance and those risk factors known to become a part of insulin resistance syndrome should become part of routine medical care for obese children.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.139-158
• /
• 2009

The purposes of this study are to develop cyber home study program on consumer life for youth in middle school students and to compare the learning effect of this program with that of teacher's off-line lecture in class. The contents of the middle school Home Economics. Technology textbooks was analyzed. Based on this analysis 4 cyber home study lesson plans on youth's consumer life were developed. The topics of lesson plan were as 'youth and consumer behavior', 'utilizing consumer information'. 'effective consumer choice', 'resolving consumer problems'. The cyber home study were composed of 5 steps which were 'guiding' $\rightarrow$ 'learning activities' $\rightarrow$ 'evaluation' $\rightarrow$ 'further study' $\rightarrow$ 'summery'. The second grade middle school students as an experimental group participated in cyber home study through on-line class. The control group of students who had same condition with the experimental group were taught by home economics teacher using traditional instructional methods in off-line class. After the experiment, the changes in consumer's attitudes and knowledge of both groups were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance. The significant improvements of consumer's attitudes and knowledge were found in both the experimental and control groups of students. However, the consumer's attitudes and knowledge of the students who were taught by the teacher in off-line class improved more than those of the students who studied using cyber home study program in on-line class. Thus, the following conclusion is made that the cyber home study could be one of the useful learning methods to aid traditional off-line teaching in class.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.37-41
• /
• 2016

Purpose The importance of quality control by the error to a minimum, which for the purpose of enhancing the reliability of the examination is not be emphasized excess. Currently, most nuclear medicine laboratory are conducting the internal and external quality control, and they are applying the Levey-Jennings or Westgard Multi-Rules by using the commercialized quality control materials. The reliability of the nuclear medicine blood test which affects the diagnosis of patients and the treatment policy is being secured through this quality control activity. Therefore, researchers will evaluate the utility of the statistic quality control using the population distribution of the nuclear medicine blood test conducted targeting the checkup examinees by the additional technique of the reliability improvement. Materials and Methods A statistic analysis was performed about 12 items of the nuclear medicine blood test targeting 41,341 peoples who used the health screening and promotion center in Asan Medical Center from January, 2014 to December, 2014. The results of 12 items of the nuclear medicine blood test was divided into the monthly percentage of three groups: within reference values, over reference, and under reference to analyze the average value of the population distribution, standard deviation, and standard deviation index (SDI). Results The standard deviation of the population distribution mostly showed a result within ${\pm}2SD$ in all groups. However, When the standard deviation of the population distribution represented a result over ${\pm}2SD$, it was confirmed SDI was showing a result of SDI > -2 or SDI > 2. As a result of analyzing the population distribution of 12 items(AFP, CEA, CA19-9, CA125, PSA, TSH, FT4, Anti-Tg-Ab, Anti-TPO-Ab, Calcitonin, 25-OH-VitD3, Insulin) of the nuclear medicine blood part basic test, when SDI of the monthly percentage which deviated from the reference values was over ${\pm}2.0$, CA19-9 September was 2.2, Anti-Tg-Ab may was 2.2, Insulin January was 2.3, Insulin March was 2.4. It was confirmed these cases were attributed to the abnormality of the test reagent (maximum combination rate of isotope reagent declined) and the decline of the test response time. Conclusion The population distribution includes the entire attribute which becomes the study object. It is expected the statistic quality management using the population distribution which was conducted targeting the checkup examinees by dividing into three groups: within reference values, over reference, and under reference by means of this characteristics will be able to play a role of complementing the internal quality control program which is being carried out in the laboratory.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.121-128
• /
• 2006

Background: The "health-related quality of life" (HRQL) for patients with chronic respiratory disease has been emphasized, because chronic respiratory disease (CRD) is chronic and progressive, and it finally causes disability. HRQL instruments may be useful for monitoring patients' progress or for determining the most appropriate choice of treatment. We describe the adapting St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), which is a self-administered questionnaire developed by Jones et al. (1991), into the Korean version for covering three domains of health for the patients suffering with airways disease. Method: We obtained the original SGRQ from the author after gaining permission. For adaptation, we created an expert panel and translated the original questionnaire into Korean language. The translated questionnaire was then back-translated by bilingual experts and we compared it with the original questionnaire. After correction and feasibility testing, 74 patients with chronic respiratory disease (COPD, asthma, destroyed lung) completed the Korean version of the SGRQ. The clinical status of each patients was evaluated concurrently with measurement of their health status. Result: The Korean version of the SGRQ was acceptable and easy to understand. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.92 for the overall scale and 0.63 for the "Symptoms", subscale, 0.87 for the "Activity", subscale, and 0.89 for the "Impacts" subscales. The correlation coefficients between the overall score and the Borg scale score, oxygen saturation, and forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$) were 0.52, -0.32 and -0.26, respectively. These results support that the Korean SGRQ was correlated with other measurements. Conclusion: The Korean SGRQ was reliable and valid for patients with chronic respiratory disease, such as COPD, asthma, and destroyed lung. The SGRQ score was well correlated with other respiratory measurements as well. Although further studies should complete the adaptation work, our results suggest that the SGRQ may be used in Korea and also for international studies involving Korean CRD patients.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.519-531
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined exercise program on short physical performance battery, bone mineral density and parathyroid hormone levels in elderly women. This study subjects were 22 elderly female volunteers, aged 65-75 years and they divided into the combined exercise group(n=11) and the "no exercise" control group(n=11). The combined exercise included the line dance program performed twice per week for 60 minutes and the resistance exercise program performed once per week during 12 weeks. Exercise intensity was progressively increased from RPE "fairly light" to "slightly hard" (from 11 to 14). The findings of this study were as follows; Short physical performance battery(Balance test, gait speed, and rising from a chair five times) and bone mineral density (lumbar spine L2~L4 bone densities, and the T-score) were significantly increased after 12 weeks in the exercise group compared to the baseline. The PTH level was significantly decreased in the exercise group compared to the baseline. In conclusion, regular and continuous physical activity was effective for improving short physical performance and had a positive effect on bone mineral density and parathyroid hormone. With aging, women have decreased muscle strength and bone density and therefore, it is strongly recommended that women need to carry out continuous physical activity to prevent disease and ensure a healthy retirement.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 2011

In this study, we examined the impact caused by chronic exposure to Mn by investigating the degree of brain activation based on the data of recognition activities using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). A questionnaire survey, blood tests, and fMRI tests were carried out with respect to two groups. Group 1 was an exposure group consisting of 15 male workers who are 34 years old or older, and who worked for longer than 10 years in a shipbuilding factory as a welder. Group 2 was a control group consisting of 15 workers in manufacturing industries with the same gender and age. The results showed that blood Mn concentration of Group 1($1.3\;{\mu}g/dl$) was significantly higher than that of Group 2($0.8\;{\mu}g/dl$)(p < 0.001), and Pallidal Index (PI) of Group 1 was also significantly higher than that of Group 2 (p < 0.001). PI value of the group whose blood Mn concentration was $0.93\;{\mu}g/dl$ or higher was significantly higher than that of the group whose blood Mn concentration was less than $0.93 \;{\mu}g/dl$ (p < 0.001). As for brain activity area within the control group, the right and the left areas of occipital cortex showed significant activity and the left area of middle temporal cortex, the right area of superior inferior frontal cortex and inferior parietal cortex showed significant activity. Unlike the control group, the exposure group showed significant activity on the right area of superior inferior temporal cortex, the left of insula area. In the comparison of brain activity areas between the two groups, the exposure group showed significantly higher activation than the control group in such areas as the right inferior temporal cortex, the left area of superior parietal cortex and occipital cortex, and cerebellum including middle temporal cortex. However, in nowhere the control group showed more activated area than the exposure group. As the final outcome, chronic exposure to Mn increased brain activity during implementation of arithmetic task. In an identical task, activation increased in superior inferior temporal cortex, and insula area. And it was discovered that brain activity increase in temporal area and occipital area was more pronounced in the exposure group than in the control group. This result suggests that chronic exposure to Mn in the work environment affects brain activation neuro-network.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.35 no.2 s.98
• /
• pp.92-102
• /
• 2002

This study was conducted to compare filtering abilities of three species of freshwater mussels (Cobicula fluminea, Corbicula leana and Unio douglasiae) and to evaluate their filter feeding effects on water quality change in experimental enclosure systems. Mussel feeding in both laboratory and enclosure resulted in decrease of particulate material, such as chlorophyll, total P, SS. In the treatment with 600 individuals of mussels, chllorophyll concentration and net primary productivity decreased from $87.3{\pm}4.5\;{\mu}g/L$ and $106.3{\pm}8.8\;{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;hr^{-1}$ to nearly the same level as the mussel-free enclosure ($25.0{\pm}0.5\;{\mu}g/L$ and $15.6{\pm}13.3\;{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;hr^{-1}$, respectively)(P< 0.05, n = 6, ANOVA). In concert with the decrease of chlorophyll concentration, not only was the transparency enhanced from 0.48 m to 1.2m but also the suspended solids and total phosphorus decreased from $22.0{\pm}1.0\;mg/L$ to $7.5{\pm}0.5\;mg/L$ and $133{\pm}0.8\;{\mu}g/L$ to $70{\pm}0.0\;{\mu}g/L$, respectively (P<0.001, $r^2$>0.71, n = 11). Although slight decrease of SRP concentration and the increase of inorganic nitrogen ($NH_3-N$ and $NO_2-N$) were observed in the mussel addition enclosure, there was no statistical difference between two enclosures. Based on the filtering rate on phytoplankton and nutrient release rate in forms of feces and pseudofeces, Corbicula leana appeared to be the most efficient filter-feeder among three mussel species. These results inidicate that Cobicula play an important role in controlling particulate sestons and thus it could be applied as a biocontroler for the water quality management in lakes and reservoirs with algal blooms.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.309-318
• /
• 2002

Background : Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a fatal progressive fibrotic disorder of the lung with unknown etiology and characterized by a poor response to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. The histologic hallmark of UIP is parchy distribution of subpleural fibrosis and fibroblastic foci(FBF) with interposed normal appearing lung. Because FBF is a collection of actively proliferating myofibroblasts, it can be a marker of activity and prognosis of UIP. However, there were contradictory reports about the correlation between the degree of FBF and survival. Therefore we performed this study to investigate the value of FBF as prognostic marker of UIP. Methods : This was a retrospective study on the 46 patients(M:F=33:13, mean age:$59{\pm}12$ years) with UIP diagnosed by the surgical lung biopsy at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea between 1990 and 2000 and had follow-up of more than a year. All the biopsy specimens were reevaluated and diagnosed as UIP according to the ATS/ERS classification. Semiquantitative grading of FBF(absent, 0; mild 1; moderate 2; marked 3) by the experienced pathologists who did not know the clinical findings were compared to the clinical data and the follow up course. Results : Thirteen patients(28.2%) died of UIP progression during the study period. The median survival time of all the subjects was 26 months after the biopsy. At the univariate analysis, FVC, $D_Lco$, smoking history and the grade of FBF were significantly related to the survial. The survival was longer in subjects with lesser degrees of FBF, higher DLco, higher FVC and history of smoking. However the multivariate analysis with Cox regression test showed the extent of FBF was the only independent prognostic marker of UIP. Conclusion : These data suggested that the extent of FBF on the surgical lung biopsy can be used as a prognostic marker of UIP.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.406-415
• /
• 2002

Heavy metal concentrations (Cu(II), Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II)) at field and upland soils were investigated with two extraction methods, 0.1mole L$^{-1}$ HCI extraction and HNO$_3$-HCIO$_4$ digestion, in order to estimate soil pollution and to understand their distribution and accumulation characteristics. Through an application of 0.1mole L$^{-1}$ HCI extraction method, the surface horizons of field soils were found to have higher concentrations of heavy metals (except Pb(II)) than those of upland soil. It was also seen that Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) were enriched in surface horizon of field soils, whereas upland soils did not show much difference across depth. When the method of HNO$_3$-HCIO$_4$ digestion was used, upland soils showed higher concentrations than those of other soils, and the distribution of heavy metals did not show much difference between horizons of all soils. From these results, it was recognized that, although total natural contents of heavy metals were the largest in upland soil, surface horizons of field soils became gradually polluted with heavy metals. Especially, Cd(II) is considered as a potential metallic pollutant in field soils because of its weak adsorption strength. Concentrations of heavy metals also seemed to be influenced by their adsorption characteristics. When we computed 0.1HCl$_{ext}$HNCL$_{dig}$ ratios to estimate the adsorption strengths of soil heavy metals, their adsorption strengths decreased on the order of Cu(II) > Zn(II)> Pb(II) > Cd(II). The distribution characteristics of heavy metals in field soil, especially Cd(II),are required more detail study because of its importance of land use and complicated mobilization characteristic.