• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.97-114
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• 1996

INSTRODUCTION Service quality is, unlike goods quality, an abstract and elusive constuct. Service quality and its requirements are not easily understood by consumers, and also present some critical research problems. However, quality is very important to marketers and consumers in that it has many strategic benefits in contributing to profitability of marketing activities and consumers' problem-solving activities. Moreover, despite the phenomenal growth of medical service sector, few researchers have attempted to define and model medical service quality. Especially, little research has focused on the evaluation of medical service quality and patient satisfaction from the perspectives of both the provider and the patient. As competition intensifies and patients are demanding higher quality of medical service, medical service quality and patient satisfaction has emerged as a critical research topic. The major purpose of this article is to explore the concept of medical service quality and its evaluation from both nurse and patient perspectives. This article attempts to achieve its purpose by (1)classfying critical service attibutes into threecategories(satisfiers, hygiene factors, and performance factors). (2)measuring the relative importance of need criteria, (3)evaluating SERVPERF model and SERVQUAL model in medical service sector, and (4)identifying the relationship between perceived quality and overall patient satisfaction. METHOD Data were gathered from a sample of 217 patients and 179 nurses in Seoul-area general hospitals. From the review of previous literature, 50 survey items representing various facets of the medical service quality were developed to form a questionnaire. A five-point scale ranging from "Strongly Agree"(5) to "Strongly Disagree"(1) accompanied each statement(expectation statements, perception statements, and importance statements). To measure overall satisfaction, a seven-point scale was used, ranging from "Very Satisfied"(7) to "Very Dissatisfied"(1) with no verbal labels for scale points 2 through 6 RESULTS In explaining the relationship between perceived performance and overall satisfaction, only 31 variables out of original 50 survey items were proven to be statistically significant. Hence, a penalty-reward analysis was performed on theses 31 critical attributes to find out 17 satisfiers, 8 hygiene factors, and 4 performance factors in patient perspective. The role(category) of each service quality attribute in relation to patient satisfaction was com pared across two groups, that is, patients and nurses. They were little overlapped, suggesting that two groups had different sets of 'perceived quality' attributes. Principal components factor analyses of the patients' and nurses' responses were performed to identify the underlying dimensions for the set of performance(experience) statements. 28 variables were analyzed by using a varimax rotation after deleting three obscure variables. The number of factors to be extracted was determined by evaluating the eigenvalue scores. Six factors wereextracted, accounting for 57.1% of the total variance. Reliability analysis was performed to refine the factors further. Using coefficient alpha, scores of .84 to .65 were obtained. Individual-item analysis indicated that all statements in each of the factors should remain. On 26 attributes of 31 critical service quality attributes, there were gaps between actual patient's importance of need criteria and nurse perceptions of them. Those critical attributes could be classified into four categories based on the relative importance of need criteria and perceived performance from the perspective of patient. This analysis is useful in developing strategic plans for performance improvement. (1) top priorities(high importance and low performance) (in this study)- more health-related information -accuracy in billing - quality of food - appointments at my convenience - information about tests and treatments - prompt service of business office -adequacy of accommodations(elevators, etc) (2) current strengths(high importance and high performance) (3)unnecessary strengths(low importance and high performance) (4) low priorities(low importance and low performance) While 26 service quality attributes of SERPERF model were significantly related to patient satisfation, only 13 attributes of SERVQUAL model were significantly related. This result suggested that only experience-based norms(SERVPERF model) were more appropriate than expectations to serve as a benchmark against which service experiences were compared(SERVQUAL model). However, it must be noted that the degree of association to overall satisfaction was not consistent. There were some gaps between nurse percetions and patient perception of medical service performance. From the patient's viewpoint, "personal likability", "technical skill/trust", and "cares about me" were most significant positioning factors that contributed patient satisfaction. DISCUSSION This study shows that there are inconsistencies between nurse perceptions and patient perceptions of medical service attributes. Also, for service quality improvement, it is most important for nurses to understand what satisfiers, hygiene factors, and performance factors are through two-way communications. Patient satisfaction should be measured, and problems identified should be resolved for survival in intense competitive market conditions. Hence, patient satisfaction monitoring is now becoming a standard marketing tool for healthcare providers and its role is expected to increase.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.325-334
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to compare the content and metabolic activities between fresh pine needle juice (PNJ) and fermented pine needle juice (FPNJ). A variety of factors were measured, including total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity [DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), total radical-trapping antioxidant potential (TRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), cellular antioxidant capacity (CAC)], anti-genotoxic activity, ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The TPC was $17.3{\pm}0.2$ and $4.6{\pm}0.0$ mg GAE/g in PNJ and FPNJ, respectively. The DPPH RSA, TRAP, and ORAC values increased in a dose-dependent manner for both PNJ and FPNJ, with significantly higher activities in PNJ than FPNJ. The CAC against AAPH-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells was protected by both PNJ and FPNJ. Pretreatment with PNJ and FPNJ in human leukocytes produced significant reductions in $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage at a concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$. ${\alpha}$-Glucosidase inhibitory activity was significantly higher in FPNJ than PNJ. The ACE inhibitory activity was about 87.1% and 60.0% in 1:1 diluted PNJ and FPNJ, respectively. This study suggests that the fermentation of PNJ could enhance the regulation of blood glucose metabolism and both PNJ and FPNJ might be a new potential source of natural antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive agents applicable to food.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.424-429
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of different planting time on the synthesis of isoflavone in black soybean, Three varieties used in this experiment were lpumgeomjeongkong, Cheongjakong and Heugcheongkong which had different ecotypes, repectively. Seeds were sown at different time, May 15th, May 30th and June 15th with planting density of $60{\times}15cm$. In order to analyze the content of isoflavone, we collected sample every 5 days from 30 days after flowering to harvest and analyzed them with UPLC. As sowing was delayed, the content of isoflavone increased in all of three varieties. The content of genistein was greater than daidzein and glycitein. Increase of Glycitein was not distinct from 55 days after flowering(DAF) and it was stable against temperature change during the seed developing period. Although the content of genistein in Ilpumgeomjeongkong from 50 to 55 DAF, in Cheongjakong from 40 to 55 DAF and in Heugcheongkong from 60 to 65 DAF was lower than the content of daidzein, it was higher than that of daidzein afterward. In the statistical analysis on the relationship between average temperature and the content of aglycone isoflavone at 5-day intervals from 30 DAF during the grain filling period, genistein in Ilpumgeomjeongkong showed meaningful correlation as y=-15.28x+407.9 ($R^2=0.505^*$), diadzein in Cheongjakong showed meaningful correlation as y=-6.188x-164.5($R^2=0.454^*$), and genistein showed significantly high correlation as y=-11.59x+297.6 ($R^2=0.545^{**}$). Taking all the above results into consideration, it was suggested that the regions suitable for high content of isoflavone in black soybean be the northern area of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and inland area of Gyeongsangbuk-do, where are relatively low average temperature from flowering stage($R_2$) during the grain filling period.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.797-808
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• 2016

The experiment of grape leafroller (Herpetogramma luctuosalis) was carried out at Okcheon area from 2007 to 2009 and 2015. The grape leafroller had been occurred at a campbell early' organic vineyard in Okcheon. It's larva was rolling the leaf of grape and ate the leaf. So the leaf of grape decreased. In organic vineyards, adult grape leafroller' generation rate per year showed the first peak in mid-June, the second peak in early -August and the third in mid-September. The larva showed the first peak in early July and the second peak in late August-early September. The grape leaf roller had three generations per year. And it took $60.9{\pm}1.09days$ from egg to adult in growth chamber (VS-91G09M-1300) which the relative humidity conditions was $60{\pm}10%$, temperature $25{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ and photoperiod 16L:8D (The egg : $12{\pm}0days$, larvae : $22.2{\pm}0.22days$, pupa : $10.6{\pm}0.75days$ and adult : $16.1{\pm}0.45days$). It was conducted to find out the effect of microbial pesticide treatments to control H. luctuosalis. The 4 microbial pesticides (Bacillus thurigiensis) were treated twice on the grape leaves in June 11 and 21 at an organic vineyard in Okcheon. On 10 days after last treatment, the control value of all microbial pesticides were more than 95%. When the dates of spraying to the grape leaves were on May 22, June 12 and July 2 each, the effects of microbial pesticide were 73.9%, 93.5% and 43.6% respectively. As a result, it was effective that Bt was sprayed to grape leaves on mid and late June for controling the H. luctuosalis in organic vineyard. And microbial pesticide Bt was thought to be useful to control the grape leafroller in organic vineyard.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.540-559
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• 2007

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the locations and to interpret the landscapes of the local towns in Joseon Dynasty from Feng-shui's point of view. As a result of analysing the locations of towns in Gyeongsang Province, the towns which have typical Feng-shui landscapes make up to 58% of the total. Historically, the local towns that were established in the early period of the Joseon Dynasty didn't reveal Feng-shui's landscape, but those that were established in the late period of the Joseon Dynasty revealed the Feng-shui's landscape clearly. In this article, I classify the local towns of the Gyeongsang Province into 3 types: 1. Non Feng-shui type These towns are located near the seashore. The main reason that these towns were located at the seashore was defense against an enemy. 2. Semi Feng-shui type. These towns don't have natural location but have a man-made landscape, based on the principles of Feng-shui. 3. Typical Feng-shui type. These towns were typically administrational towns which were located at the center of a local region.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1415-1421
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• 2008

Preventive effects of 3-(4'-hydroxyl-3',5'-dimethoxyphenyl)propionic acid (HDMPPA), an active compound in Korean cabbage kimchi with anti-atherogenic effects, on the accumulation of lipids in the vital organs of $apoE^{(-/-)}$ mice fed atherogenic diet (AD) were studied. Each group of 10 mice was fed AD for 8 weeks with intraperitoneal injection of either HDMPPA (1 mg HDMPPA/100 g BW/day) or phosphate buffered saline as a vehicle. The organs used for this study were liver, kidney, spleen, lung, testis, and brain. Total cholesterol (TC) concentration of lung was the highest followed by spleen and brain. TC level for the liver was the lowest. In contrast to the results of TC, triglyceride (TG) concentration in the liver was the highest followed by kidney and testis. $ApoE^{(-/-)}$ mice did not have any problem uptaking chylomicron remnant by the liver which carries an extra TG after delivering it to the adipose tissue. HDMPPA retarded TC and TG accumulations in the vital organs. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the brain and spleen were the highest and that in the testis were the lowest. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids in the brain and activated peroxisome in the spleen might be responsible for high TBARS levels in these organs. The greatest antioxidant effect of HDMPPA against lipid peroxidation was observed in the spleen, showing 21.47% decrease. The most noticeable effect of HDMPPA was observed in glutathione (GSH) level. GSH levels of six organs in the HDMPPA group were significantly higher than those of the control group. GSH-peroxidase activity was negatively related to GSH level of the organs except liver and spleen. In conclusion, HDMPPA from Korean cabbage kimchi inhibits the lipid accumulation as well as increases the antioxidant status in the vital organs of $apoE^{(-/-)}$ mice fed an atherogenic diet.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.561-574
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• 2000

Poly-P has been used to prevent decomposition of foods and has been shown to have inhibitory effect on the growth of gram positive bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of poly-P on the growth of Porphyromonas endodontalis, a gram negative obligate anaerobic rod, endodontopathic bacterium. P. endodontalis ATCC 35406 was in BHI broth containing hemin and vitamin K with or without poly-P. Inhibitory effect of each poly-P which was added at the beginning(lag phase) or during(exponential phase) the culture, MIC(minimum inhibitory concentration) was determined by measuring the optical density of the bacterial cell at 540nm. Viable cell counts were measured to determined whether poly-P has a bactericidal effect. Leakage of intracellular nucleotides from P. endodontalis was determined at 260nm and morphological change of P. endodontalis was observed under the TEM(transmission electron microscope). Binding of 32P-labeled poly-P to P. endodontalis was examined. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and zymography were performed to observe the changes in protein and enzyme profiles of P. endodontalis, respectively. The results from this study were as follows : 1. The minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) of poly-P to P. endodontalis appeared to be 0.04~0.05%. 2. Poly-P added to the P. endodontalis culture during the exponential phase of P. endodontalis was as much effective as poly-P added at the begining of the culture, suggesting that the antibacterial effect of poly-P is not much dependent on the initial inoculum size of P. endodontalis. 3. Poly-P are bactericidal to P. endodontalis, demonstrating the decrease of the viable cell counts. 4. Intracellular nucleotide release from the P. endodontalis, was not increased in the presence of poly-P and was not reversed by the addition of divalent cations like $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2-}$. 5. Under the TEM, it was observed that fine electro-dense materials were prominent in the poly-P grown P. endodontalis, appearing locally in the cell, and the materials were more abundant and more dispersed in the cell as the incubation time with poly-P increased. In addition, highly electron dense granules accumulated in many poly-P grown cells, most of which were atypical in their shape. 6. Binding of 32P-labeled poly-P to P. endodontalis appeared to be 32.8 and 45.5 and 53.4% at 30 minutes, 1 hours and 2 hours, respectively. 7. In the presence of poly-P. the synthesis of proteins with apparent molecular masses of 25, 27, 35, 45 was lost or drastically decreased whereas expression of a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 75 was elevated. 8. Proteolytic activity of P. endodontalis was decreased by poly-P. The overall results suggest that use of poly-P may affect the growth of P. endodontalis, and the anti-bacterial activity of poly-P seems largely bactericidal. Changes in shape, protein expression, and proteolytic activity of P. endodontalis by poly-P may be directly and indirectly attributed to the antibacterial effect of poly-P. Further studies will be needed to confirm the effect of poly-P.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2006

A mechanically pressed juice of Bokbunja (Rubus coreanus Miq.) extract was prepared using 70% ethanol solution. The extract was subjected to gamma-irradiation treatment (20 kGy) and investigated for its change of color and biological activities. Hunter $L^*$ values of the irradiated Bokbunja extract were increased in comparison with the non-irradiated extracts, and the $a^*\;and\;b^*$values decreased by the irradiation treatment. The content of the total phenolic compounds in the non-irradiated and irradiated extracts were 58.4 and 56.5 mg/g, respectively. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging activities of non-irradiated and irradiated extracts at a 250 ppm level were 80% and 79%, respectively. Lipid oxidation was retarded by addition of Bokbunja powder. Nitrite scavenging activity was the highest in the Bokbunja powder at pH 1.2 and the effect was not changed by irradiation. The Bokbunja powder showed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella Typhimurium and Bacillus cereus. However, irradiation of Bokbunja did not affect any physiological functions (p>0.05). A Salmonella mutagenicity assay indicated that the irradiated Bokbunja extract did not show any mutagenicity. Therefore, Bokbunja extract could be used in various applications as a functional material, such as ingredients of food and cosmetic, compositions with functions.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2011

In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activities, inhibition activity against ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) and antitumor activity of extract from Acanthopanax senticosus HARMS fruits for development novel functional resources. In order to understand the factors responsible for the potent antioxidant and antihypertensive ability of fruits in A. senticosus, it has been evaluated for anti-oxidative activity using Fenton's reagent/ethyl linoleate system and for free radical scavenging activity using the l,l-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free radical generating system. The fruits extract of A. senticosus showed higher antioxidant activities than positive control, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol at all concentrations, while fruits extract of A. senticosus showed same degree of radical scavenging activity with positive control, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol. The ability of fruit extracts from A. senticosus to influence the inhibitory activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and xanthine oxidase (XOase) has also been discussed. The activity of growth-inhibitory of fruit extracts of A. senticosus was screened by SRB (sulphorhodamine B) method on diverse cancer cells representing different types of cancers. The fruit extracts of A. senticosus showed moderate inhibition on proliferation of LNCaP and MOLT-4F cells and did not inhibit the proliferation of other cancer cells. The fruit extracts of A. senticosus inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells with $GI_{50}$ values ranging from 5 to $10{\mu}g/mL$. This result revealed that the fruit extracts of A. senticosus was expected to be good candidate for development into source of free radical scavengers, antihypertentive, and anti-tumor agent.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 1973

Numerous factors concern with the absorption of substances through the membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. To simplify the experimental condition, present work has been restricted to observe the disappearance rate of substance from the intestinal loop which was made in the jejunum, 70 cm apart from the pylorus of the adult rabbit. The purpose of the study is to clarify the absorption of urea through the jejunal wall is solely attributable to the concentration difference between the luminal fluid and plasma, and to observe the effect of adding red pepper upon the rate of absorption. The rabbits were anesthetized with nembutal, 35mg/kg I.V. Jejunal loop was made by ligating at 2 spots, 70 cm and 80cm apart from the pylorus. After rinsing with normal saline solution through the polyethylene tubing inserted from the end of the loop, 8 ml of test solution was placed through the same tubing. The test solution contained 200 mg% of urea and 150mg% of polyethylene glycol(M.W. 4,000) in normal saline solution. Right after placing the test solution the first specimen was taken through the tubing, and successive samplings were performed at 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Logarithm of the difference of urea concentration between the luminal fluid and plasma was plotted against time elapsed after the onset of the experiment. If straight line is revealed, it would verify the nature of transport mechanism as diffusion, obeying the Fick's principle. The concentration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) was also measured in order to examine the change in the volume. PEG was used as the marker substance because it is not absorbable in the intestinal tract. Consequently the concentration of PEG relates inversely to the volume of the loop. Instantaneous concentration of urea in the loop times the volume will give the amount of urea remaining in the luminal fluid. The change in the amount of any substance is directly relate to the volume of the compartment and differs from the change in the concentration which is independent of the volume. After completion of the experiment without red pepper, it was added in the test solution and was centrifuged after thorough mixing. Supernatant of the mixture was placed in the loop and similar sampling were performed with the same time intervals that of previous run in order to observe the effects of the red pepper on the passive transport of the water soluble small substance, urea. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Logarithm of the concentration difference of urea between the luminal fluid and plasma was diminished exponentially as time elapsed. The decay constant in the experiment without red pepper was 0.0563/min. By adding red pepper in the test solution as much as the concentration rose to 4,000 mg% and 8,000 mg%, the decay constants were lowered to 0.0493/min and to 0.0506/min, respectively. The time interval by which the concentration difference dropped to one half of the initial value was prolonged. Without red pepper the half concentration time was 13.30 minutes, and by adding extract of red pepper, 15.31 minutes and 15.71 minutes were revealed. 2. The profile of the diminishing rate of tile amount of urea was quite different from that of the concentration because of the change in the volume of the loop during the observed period. 3. By adding the extract of red pepper, it slowed down the rate of absorption of urea in the intestinal loop, suggesting an increase in the diffusional barrier. 4. Larger dosage of red pepper brought an increase in the secretion of intestinal fluid with concomitant expansion of the luminal volume, and the retardation of the absorption of urea was noticed. This effect was largely dependent on the sensitivity of the individual animal to the red pepper, extract. The amount of urea remained after 10 minutes interval was 55.5% of the initial amount in the experiment without red pepper. On the other hand it was not consistent after administration of red pepper, showing 50.6% and 66.5% of the initial figures by adding 400 mg and 800 mg of red pepper in the test solution, respectively. It was postulated that symptom of diarrhea often encountered by taking a hot (red pepper) food might be attributable to the increase of secretion and the retardation of absorption in the intestinal tract.