• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.87-92
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• 2023

As times develop, information becomes more diverse and methods of obtaining it become more diverse. About 80% of the amount of information gained in life is acquired through the visual sense. However, visually impaired people have limited ability to interpret visual materials. That's why Braille, a text for the blind, appeared. However, the Braille decoding rate of the blind is only 5%, and as the demand of the blind who want various forms of platforms or materials increases over time, development and product production for the blind are taking place. An example of product production is braille books, which seem to have more disadvantages than advantages, and unlike non-disabled people, it is true that access to information is still very difficult. In this paper, we designed a CNN-based Braille conversion and voice output device to make it easier for visually impaired people to obtain information than conventional methods. The device aims to improve the quality of life by allowing books, text images, or handwritten images that are not made in Braille to be converted into Braille through camera recognition, and designing a function that can be converted into voice according to the needs of the blind.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.258-267
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• 2023

In this study, to investigate the possibility of using ethanol extract of Petasites japonicus (PJE) as a functional material, we investigated the activity of improving skin barrier and inflammation through UVB-induced human keratinocyte (HaCaT cell). As a result of confirming the antioxidant effect through DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS⁺ radical scavenging activity, and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, it was confirmed that it had an antioxidant effect similar to that of ascorbic acid, a control, at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. As a result of confirming the mRNA expression of the production ability of filaggrin and aquaporin-3 in HaCaT cells induced by UVB, it was confirmed that the reduced expression level by UVB stimulation increased in a concentration-dependent manner when the PJE was treated. It was confirmed that the mRNA expression of TNF-𝛼 and IL-1𝛽 were increased by UVB stimulation and decreased when the PJE was treated. As a result of the migration assay, it was confirmed that the proliferation of skin keratinocytes and the recovery rate of wounds were increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on the experimental results, it suggests that Petasites japonicus can be used as a functional cosmetic product that can improve skin moisturizing and skin barrier function.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.569-577
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• 2023

This study selected seven carbon-neutral villages, considering the characteristics of each region, including all five administrative districts of Changwon City, and proposed activation plans based on business evaluations through surveys of local residents and FGIs with leaders. The analysis showed that carbon-neutral education was the most important factor for activating carbon-neutral villages, with a response rate of 91.9% for 17 multiple-choice questions, followed by legal (ordinance) arrangements at 79.3% and village organization building at 74.1%. Based on this, the following activation plans through the participation of residents who are involved in the project of creating a carbon-neutral village in Changwon City were proposed. First, the characteristics of each carbon-neutral village model were classified into a resource circulation-based model, an environmental creation-based model, an environmental education and experience event-based model, and an energy efficiency-based model. Second, it is necessary to create and present carbon-neutral village growth stage guidelines for the growth of carbon-neutral villages. Third, manuals and teaching materials related to carbon neutrality, such as theories, issues, and practices, need to be produced and distributed for leaders and activists to easily apply and access for self-government operation of the village. Finally, if a carbon-neutral support center that is legally installable in Changwon City is established, it is expected that the lives of local residents will become more sustainable for carbon-neutral living in preparation for climate crises.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2023

A 2(pedagogical agent: with vs. without) × 2(on-screen text: with vs. without) between-subject design was used in this study to investigate the effects of pedagogical agent and redundant on-screen text on video learning. In the case of the educational video without redundant on-screen text, there was no difference in social presence, satisfaction, and intention to continue learning regardless of the presence of a pedagogical agent. However, when the educational video contained redundant on-screen text, participants who watched educational video with pedagogical agent perceived higher social presence, satisfaction and intention to continue. In terms of academic achievement, no difference was found whether redundant on-screen text was contained or not. It supports some of the previous studies on the reverse-redundancy effects, suggesting that the inclusion of redundant text does not necessarily cause the reduction of learning outcomes. Video learning shows a higher dropout rate than face-to-face learning. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand how to strengthen interactions with learners and motivate them to keep themselves engaged in learning. This study discussed whether pedagogical agent and on-screen text are factors that induce continuous participation of learners in video learning.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.291-296
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• 2022

This study was conducted on curcumin which had increased bioavailability as a potential AChE inhibitor for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this study is to confirm the in vitro neuroprotective effect on Aricumin (turmeric extract). To confirm the neuroprotective effect, AChE inhibition for Aricumin was evaluated, and cell viability was analyzed for HT-22cell, and oxidative stress (glutamate, H₂O₂)-induced HT-22 cytotoxicity was evaluated. As a result of the change in the AChE inhibition rate of Aricumin (Turmeric extract), it was confirmed that Aricumin at a concentration of 39.06㎍/ml or higher inhibited AChE activity by about 20% and more. And it was confirmed that the cytotoxicity of HT-22 cells induced by oxidative stress (Gluamate 5 mM and H₂O₂ 500 µM) was significantly inhibited from 0.01 to 0.1 mg/ml concentration (p<005). These results suggest that Aricumin (turmeric extract) have potential neuroprotective effects.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.5A
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• pp.649-656
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• 2008

The enhancement of the service life of damaged or cracked structures is a major issue for researchers and engineers. The hierarchic void element based on the integrals of Legendre polynomials is used to characterize the fracture behaviour of unpatched crack as well as repaired crack with bonded composite patches by computing the stress intensity factors and stress contours at the crack tip. Since the equivalent single layer approach is adopted in this study, the proposed element is necessary to represent a discontinuous crack part as a continuum body with zero stiffness. Thus the aspect ratio of this element to represent the crack should be extremely slender. The sensitivity of numerical solution with respect to energy release rate, displacement and stress has been tested to show the robustness of zero stiffness element as the aspect ratio is increased up to 2000. The stiffness derivative method and displacement extrapolation method have been applied to calculate the stress intensity factors of Mode I problem. It is noted that the proposed hierarchical void element can be one of alternatives to analyze the patched crack problems.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.158-177
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• 2023

An estuary is a transitional water area that links the land and sea through rivers and streams, transporting various components from the land to the sea, which plays an important role in determining primary productivity in the coastal environment, and this coastal ecosystem captures a huge amount of carbon into biomass, known as blue carbon, which mitigates climate change as a potential carbon reservoir. This study examined the variation of mean grain size and organic carbon content of the surface sediments for 6 years and analyzed their relationship in the western and southern estuarine areas (Han River Estuary, Geum River Estuary, Yeongsan River Estuary, Seomjin River Estuary, and Nakdong River Estuary) and the East Sea upwelling area. During the sampling period (2015 to 2020), seasonal variation of both properties was not observed, because their variations might be controlled by diverse oceanographic environments and hydrographic conditions within each survey area. However, despite the synoptic problem of all samples, the positive relationship was obtained between the averages of mean grain size and organic carbon content, which clearly distinguishes each survey area. The unique positive relationship in all estuarine areas implies that the same process by sediment clay particles is important in the organic carbon accumulation. However, additional important factor may be expected in the organic carbon accumulation in the East Sea upwelling area. Further necessary data (sedimentation rate, dry bulk density etc) should be required for the estimation of carbon stock to evaluate the major estuaries in Korea as potential carbon reservoirs in the coastal environment.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.65-80
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• 2023

Through inductive content analysis, this study sought to examine the crisis experienced by the institution, the quality of service, and the distrust of the system and institution based on the experience of distrust in the home-visiting care service of bbeneficiary and guardians. FGI was conducted on five managers of institutions that provide home-visiting care services. As a result, the central phenomenon was found: deterioration of service quality, distrust of systems and institutions, and difficulties in opera-ting long-term care institutions. In order to improve the quality of home-visited care services and build trust in care workers and institutions, first, home-based associations or operating corporations should develop new education program plans and manuals to strengthen the capabilities of care workers and social workers. Second, the NHIS's monitoring system and the professional management system of care workers should be established. Third, it is necessary to improve awareness of the role, expertise, and rights of care workers, and fourth, improvement measures are required to reduce the turnover rate of care workers, which is the cause of the deterioration of the quality of long-term care services.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.133-153
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• 2023

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to investigating brain-signal measurement technology using Electroencephalography (EEG). Traditionally, researchers have combined EEG signals with bio-signals (BSs) to enhance the classification performance of emotional states. Our objective was to explore the synergistic effects of coupling EEG and BSs, and determine whether the combination of EEG+BS improves the classification accuracy of emotional states compared to using EEG alone or combining EEG with pseudo-random signals (PS) generated arbitrarily by random generators. Employing four feature extraction methods, we examined four combinations: EEG alone, EG+BS, EEG+BS+PS, and EEG+PS, utilizing data from two widely-used open datasets. Emotional states (task versus rest states) were classified using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) classifiers. Our results revealed that when using the highest accuracy SVM-FFT, the average error rates of EEG+BS were 4.7% and 6.5% higher than those of EEG+PS and EEG alone, respectively. We also conducted a thorough analysis of EEG+BS by combining numerous PSs. The error rate of EEG+BS+PS displayed a V-shaped curve, initially decreasing due to the deep double descent phenomenon, followed by an increase attributed to the curse of dimensionality. Consequently, our findings suggest that the combination of EEG+BS may not always yield promising classification performance.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.729-736
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• 2023

Traditionally, Germany, a conservative welfare state, has pursued a male breadwinner model based on gender division of labor. For a long time, Germany tried to address low fertility through economic support centered on cash benefits, but it was not successful. In 2007, the German government began to shift the paradigm of family policy for work-life balance under the slogan of "A mix of time policy, income transfer, and infrastructure." When the issue of low birth rates emerged as a national concern in Germany, there was a growing social sentiment that not only the government but also private companies should contribute to increasing fertility by providing family-friendly personnel policies and working conditions. Private companies have been voluntarily improving family-friendly working conditions beyond legal obligations, aiming to secure personnel and prevent turnover. Germany's fertility rate is currently rising toward the European average level in 2023, which can be attributed to the government's work-life balance policies and the participation of private companies. In terms of improving work-life balance policies in Korea, it has been proposed to change the perception of the need for fathers to participate in child care, to make parental leave compulsory for men, to guarantee employment for women after childbirth, to expand child care facilities, and to revitalize family-friendly policies in companies.