• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.729-744
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is a biomarker for oxidative stress to induce inflammation. Methionine is an essential sulfur-containing amino acid with antioxidative activity. On the other hand, the evidence on whether and how methionine can depress HNE-derived inflammation is lacking. In particular, the link between the regulation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway and methionine intake is unclear. This study examined the link between depression from HNE accumulation and the anti-inflammatory function of ⳑ-methionine in rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male Wistar rats (3-week-old, weighing 70-80 g) were administered different levels of ⳑ-methionine orally at 215.0, 268.8, 322.5, and 430.0 mg/kg body weight for two weeks. The control group was fed commercial pellets. The hepatic HNE contents and the protein expression and mRNA levels of the inflammatory mediators were measured. The interleukin-10 (IL-10) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) levels were also estimated. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, hepatic HNE levels were reduced significantly in all groups fed ⳑ-methionine, which were attributed to the stimulation of GST by ⳑ-methionine. With decreasing HNE levels, ⳑ-methionine inhibited the activation of NF-κB by up-regulating inhibitory κBα and depressing phosphoinositide 3 kinase/protein kinase B. The mRNA levels of the inflammatory mediators (cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrotic factor alpha) were decreased significantly by ⳑ-methionine. In contrast, the protein expression of these inflammatory mediators was effectively down regulated by ⳑ-methionine. The anti-inflammatory action of ⳑ-methionine was also reflected by the up-regulation of IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a link between the inhibition of HNE accumulation and the depression of inflammation in growing rats, which was attributed to ⳑ-methionine availability. The anti-inflammatory mechanism exerted by ⳑ-methionine was to inhibit NF-κB activation and to up-regulate GST.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.646-657
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The doubly labeled water (DLW) method is the gold standard for estimating total energy expenditure (TEE) and is also useful for verifying the validities of dietary evaluation tools. In this study, we compared the accuracy of total energy intakes (TEI) estimated by the 24-h diet recall method with TEE obtained using the doubly labeled water method. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study involved 71 subjects aged 20-49 yrs. Over a 14-day period, three 24-h diet recalls per subject (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) were used to estimate energy intakes, while TEE was measured using the DLW method. The paired t-test was used to determine the significance of differences between TEI and TEE results, and the accuracy of the 24-h recall method was determined by accuracy predictions percentage, root mean square error, and bias. RESULTS: Average study subject age was 33.4 ± 8.6 yrs. The association between TEI and TEE was positive and significant (r = 0.463, P < 0.001), and the difference between TEI (2,084.3 ± 684.2 kcal/day) and TEE (2,401.7 ± 480.3 kcal/day) was also significant (P < 0.001). In all study subjects, mean TEI was 12.0% (307.5 ± 629.3 kcal/day) less than mean TEE, and 12.2% (349.4 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in men and 11.8% (266.7 ± 632.5 kcal/day) less in women. Rates of TEI underprediction for all study subjects, men, and women, were 60.5%, 51.4%, and 66.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that 24-h diet recall underreports energy intakes. More research is needed to corroborate our findings and evaluate the accuracy of 24-h recall with respect to additional demographics.

• The Korean Journal of Coaching Psychology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.21-46
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• 2023

The current study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a group coaching program to improve college students' career exploration behaviors based on the self-affirmation theory. Participants were undergraduate students at a University in Seoul and volunteered in the program during the break. The group coaching program was conducted twice a week during three weeks, a total of six times, and each session lasted 2 to 2.5 hours. In this study, the effect of self-affirmation embedded in the group coaching program on various psychological variables and college students' career exploration behaviors were examined. A mixed-randomized analysis was conducted to compare the pre, post, and follow-up tests of the experimental, comparison, and no-treatment control groups, each consisting of 18 participants. The results showed that participants in the experimental group coaching condition showed more significant improvements in psychological resources, career self-efficacy, openness, problem-focused coping, and career exploration behaviors compared to the comparison and control groups, and these results were maintained even after the program ended. The implications of this study for coaching theory and practice, as well as limitations and future research directions, were discussed.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The objective of this study is to design a system that automatically monitors the state of interior spaces like offices where lots of people are coming and going through image data and environment data, which includes temperature, humidity, and other conditions, and implement and test related application programs. In practice, there are lots of image data automatically obtained by unmanned equipments, such as certain types of CCTVs, for monitoring situation in usual interior spaces. This image data can be used as a more effective manner by establishing a system that recognizes situation in specific interior spaces based on the relationship between image and environment data. For instance, it is possible to perform unmanned on/off controls for various electronic equipments, such as air conditioners, lights, and other devices, through analyzing the data acquisited from environment sensors (temperature, humidity, and illumination) as dynamic states are not maintained for a specified period of time. For implementing these controls, this study analyzes environment data acquisited from temperature and humidity sensors and image data input from wireless cameras to recognize situation and that can be used to automatically control environment variables configured by users. Experiments were applied in a laboratory where unmanned controls were effectively performed as automatic on/off controls for the air conditioner and lights installed in the laboratory as certain motions were detected or undetected for a specified period of time.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.197-234
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• 2009

Typological theories of offending postulate that childhood-onset delinquents have a high likelihood of being serious and chronic offenders and that there are a distinct set of risk factors predicting early-onset antisocial behaviors. It is useful to empirically classify children into subgroups based on their deviant behaviors because it helps us to identify unique factors associated with each subgroup. Using the first two waves of the Korean Youth Panel Survey, Elementary School Data, this study aimed(a) to empirically classify 5th graders into latent delinquent subgroups, and (b) to examine the impact of individual, familiar, school, and peer factors on the latent delinquent classes. Latent class analysis yielded three latent classes based on 15 indicators of deviant behaviors - delinquent class, low-level delinquent class, & normative class. The results from multivariate multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that being male, reporting low self-control, coming from poor family, high association with deviant peers, and being bullied increased the risk of being in the delinquent class. Moreover, low self-control, aggression, domestic violence, low level of attachment to teachers, and deviant peers independently increased the risk of being in the low-level delinquent class compared to the normative class. Based on the study findings, implications for practice as well as future studies were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.21-33
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• 2023

While the main purpose of irrigation reservoirs is to supply agricultural water, the needs of environmental flow and flood control has been expanded. The agricultural reservoirs have been operated in the form of carry-over system until now. Therefore, the supply of agricultural water is difficult when the storage rate is not sufficiently secured after large volume of irrigation. In addition, there are regulation of the upper storage rate for some large reservoirs during the flood season, but lower storage rate is not regulated. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the capacity of agricultural water and environmental flow supply by setting the management lower storage rate of reservoir. The changes in the supply of agricultural and environmental flow was simulated according to the three different regulating lower storage rate scenarios. As a result, it was judged effective in terms of water supply managing the lower storage rate up to 30% when the initial storage rate of farming period is above annual average for the Naju reservoir considering existing water management practice. If the lower storage rate would have been controlled above 30%, the supply of agricultural water might be increased and non-effective discharge amount would be decreased compared to other scenarios during dry period of 2016-2018.

• 한국노년학
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.35-52
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• 2005

This study attempts to develop the scale of 'Successful Aging' for Korean elderly. It follows fives: (1)developing 105 items based on the literature reviews, (2)performing the 1st survey to confirm and reduce items, (3)verifying the content validity through the professional group and the elderly focused group, (4)performing the 2nd survey to explore the factors of 'Successful Aging' and (5)performing the 3rd survey to identify the construct validity and concurrent validity. The scale constructs four factors with 30 items. The four factors are confirmed : (1)self efficacy, (2)satisfaction with adult children's success, (3)couple life like companion, (4)self control. The reliability of this scale is 0.94 and the relationship between the items and each factor are statistically significant by the confirmatory factor analysis. Thus, the content validity is verified. Also the correlation with the successful aging and the life satisfaction is 0.69 and then the concurrent validity is verified. This 'Successful Aging Scale' for Korean elderly will contribute to use as the socio-metrics at the welfare practice for aging.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.135-151
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• 2023

Objective : This study was conducted to confirm the effect of the oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) on oral motor function in stroke patients. Methods : This study was conducted on 72 stroke patients with dysphagia were included. Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups were randomly classified into 36 patients each using a random table, and a two-group pre-post test was designed. The experimental group underwent OMFT, and the control group underwent traditional dysphagia therapy for 30 min, once a day, 5 times a week for 4 weeks, for a total of 20 sessions. The Comprehensive Orofacial Function Scale (COFFS) was used to evaluate oral motor function. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to confirm the effect of the period, and an independent t-test was performed to analyze the difference in change between the two groups. Results : Total COFFS scores improved in both groups. The experimental group showed significant changes in mandibular and lip movements, cheek blows, and tongue movements. In addition, there were significant differences depending on the intervention period in terms of masticatory distribution, food spillage, swallowing of solid and liquid foods, and voice changes. There were significant differences in the mandibular opening and closing categories between the two groups. Conclusion : OMFT is effective in improving oral motor function in stroke patients with dysphagia and can be used as basic evidence in clinical practice.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Atherosclerosis is associated with increased inflammation in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Vitamin D has been reported to modulate the inflammatory responses of stromal vascular cells (SVCs) and adipocytes in adipose tissue, but the role of vitamin D in atherosclerosis biology is unclear. This study examined the effects of in vitro 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25[OH]₂D₃) treatment on the inflammatory responses of SVCs and adipocytes from atherosclerotic mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: C57BL/6J (B6) mice were divided randomly into 2 groups and fed a 10% kcal fat control diet (control group, CON) or 41% kcal fat, 0.21% cholesterol (high fat + cholesterol, HFC) diet (obese group, OB), and B6.129S7-Ldlr^tm1Her/J (Ldlr^-/-) mice were fed a HFC diet (obese with atherosclerosis group, OBA) for 16 weeks. SVCs and adipocytes isolated from VAT were pre-incubated with 1,25(OH)₂D₃ for 24 h and stimulated with lipopolysaccarides for the next 24 h. Proinflammatory cytokine production by adipocytes and SVCs, the immune cell population in SVCs, and the expression of the genes involved in the inflammatory signaling pathway in SVCs were determined. RESULTS: The numbers of total macrophages and SVCs per mouse were higher in OB and OBA groups than the CON group. The in vitro 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment significantly reduced macrophages/SVCs (%) in the OBA group. Consistent with this change, the production of interleukin-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) by SVCs from the OBA group was decreased by 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment. The 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment significantly reduced the toll-like receptor 4 and dual-specificity protein phosphatase 1 (also known as mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1) mRNA levels in SVCs and MCP-1 production by adipocytes from all 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that vitamin D can attribute to the inhibition of the inflammatory response in VAT from atherosclerotic mice by reducing proinflammatory cytokine production.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.409-421
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: The recent developments in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are emphasizing the multidisciplinary team. We report on the changes in clinical practice following the development of a multidisciplinary team, based on our 7 years of experience. Methods: Multidisciplinary team was established in 2015 offering both balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) with technical upgrades by internal and external expertise. For operable cases, PEA was recommended as the primary treatment modality, followed by pulmonary angiography and right heart catheterization after 6 months to evaluate treatment effect and identify patients requiring further BPA. For patients with inoperable anatomy or high surgical risk, BPA was recommended as the initial treatment modality. Patient data and clinical outcomes were closely monitored. Results: The number of CTEPH treatments rapidly increased and postoperative survival improved after team development. Before the team, 38 patients were treated by PEA for 18 years; however, 125 patients were treated by PEA or BPA after the team for 7 years. The number of PEA performed was 64 and that of BPA 342 sessions. World Health Organization functional class I or II was achieved in 93% of patients. The patients treated with PEA was younger, male dominant, higher pulmonary artery pressure, and smaller cardiac index, than BPA-only patients. In-hospital death after PEA was only 1 case and none after BPA. Conclusions: The balanced development of BPA and PEA through a multidisciplinary team approach proved synergistic in increasing the number of actively treated CTEPH patients and improving clinical outcomes.