• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.50-64
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• 2024

Background: The reference dose coefficients (DCs) of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) have been widely used to estimate organ doses of individuals for risk assessments. This approach has been well accepted because individual anatomy data are usually unavailable, although dosimetric uncertainty exists due to the anatomical difference between the reference phantoms and the individuals. We attempted to quantify the individual variation of organ doses for photon external exposures by calculating and comparing organ DCs for 30 individuals against the ICRP reference DCs. Materials and Methods: We acquired computed tomography images from 30 patients in which eight organs (brain, breasts, liver, lungs, skeleton, skin, stomach, and urinary bladder) were segmented using the ImageJ software to create voxel phantoms. The phantoms were implemented into the Monte Carlo N-Particle 6 (MCNP6) code and then irradiated by broad parallel photon beams (10 keV to 10 MeV) at four directions (antero-posterior, postero-anterior, left-lateral, right-lateral) to calculate organ DCs. Results and Discussion: There was significant variation in organ doses due to the difference in anatomy among the individuals, especially in the kilovoltage region (e.g., <100 keV). For example, the red bone marrow doses at 0.01 MeV varied from 3 to 7 orders of the magnitude depending on the irradiation geometry. In contrast, in the megavoltage region (1-10 MeV), the individual variation of the organ doses was found to be negligibly small (differences <10%). It was also interesting to observe that the organ doses of the ICRP reference phantoms showed good agreement with the mean values of the organ doses among the patients in many cases. Conclusion: The results of this study would be informative to improve insights in individual-specific dosimetry. It should be extended to further studies in terms of many different aspects (e.g., other particles such as neutrons, other exposures such as internal exposures, and a larger number of individuals/patients) in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2024

Objectives: The dengue prevention program known as "One House One Mosquito Larva Inspector" involves health volunteers who play a crucial role in the surveillance of mosquito larvae and reporting their findings to local public health officials. This study aimed to identify factors related to the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of dengue prevention behavior among these health volunteers. Methods: A study was conducted in 5 sub-districts in Malang, an urban area in Indonesia. We employed a cross-sectional design and utilized a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the KAP of 400 health volunteers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with a more positive attitude (odds ratio [OR], 1.69; p<0.05) and those with family sizes greater than five persons (OR, 1.90; p<0.05) were more likely to engage in effective dengue prevention practices. Additionally, possesing good knowledge was significantly assocated with more positive attitude (OR, 2.24; p<0.001). Furthermore, 40% reduction in positive attitude was observed in those over 45 years (OR, 0.60; p<0.05). The best practices most frequently reported by the majority of respondents included always reporting their surveillance activities (75.8%) and cleaning the water container in the bathroom at least once a week (65.2%). However, only 52.2% of respondents regularly checked for mosquito larvae in their neighborhood. Conclusions: Sustainable promotion and training for the "One House One Mosquito Larva Inspector" initiative are necessary, particularly among young health volunteers, to improve dengue prevention behaviors both within their own homes and in the surrounding environment.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.349-356
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• 2024

By 2025, South Korea is expected to enter an ultra-aged society with the elderly comprising 20.6% of the population. We measured changes in health status before and after by the use of a "Cognition-Emotion Enhancement Chatbot Integrated Product" among Baby Boomer generation women. Fifty participants, proficient in smart device usage and willing to provide data, were selected from health communities in Seoul. After excluding some applicants, 43 Baby Boomer women were analyzed. Results revealed significant differences in post-chatbot use physical activity (43.5.21 ± 1310.39 MET) and depression levels (6.84 ± 3.53). Correlation between the two variables was not statistically significant. The findings suggest specific effects of the chatbot on physical activity and depression, emphasizing the need for future research with diverse health indicators.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.257-266
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• 2024

This study analyzed the characteristics of each type of subjective perception of cabin crew by applying Q-methodology to understand the competencies required of airline cabin crew. As a result of analyzing 33 Q-samples and 33 P-samples using the Ken-Q Analysis program, four types were identified: "Physical strength and appearance quality-oriented", "job performance-oriented", "communication ability-oriented", and "job consciousness-oriented". Most types showed high agreement on physical factors, ability to cope with emergency situations and work responsibility. The results can be used as basic data to develop effective curriculum for airline training course and airline service majors, and it can be a reference material to help job seekers understand the job and cultivate necessary competencies.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2024

Israel craves peace and freedom. Israel has won many wars and conflicts militarily. They have developed strategic thinking based on the data, unique culture, and peacetime preparation system accumulated so far, and the strategic culture based on it contributes to fostering elite strong forces by presenting directions to security strategies.The strategic culture formed by Israeli beliefs, behavioral patterns, and identity influenced strategic thinking and the usefulness of security strategies. The purpose of this study is to redefine the concept of strategic culture by referring to the methodological discussion of strategic culture theory and to examine how useful strategic culture has provided strategic thinking and security strategies. In addition, based on the impact of Israel's strategic culture on security strategy, I would like to present implications for Korea's security strategy.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.51-58
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• 2024

This study was attempted to provide basic data for preparing a program that strengthens nursing leadership capabilities by confirming the degree of nursing leadership, calling, value of work, and interpersonal relationships of 4th grade nursing students, and identifying factors that affect nursing leadership. This study surveyed 187 nursing students located in C and D cities, and the factors affecting nursing leadership were calling (β=.185 p<.01), value of work (β=.580, p<.001), and interpersonal relationships (β=.108, p<.05), and its explanatory power is 56.8%. In order to strengthen nursing leadership, not only professional knowledge and nursing skills, but also calling and value of work should be added so that they can acquire knowledge and knowledge as a professional and demonstrate a sense of social responsibility in taking care of their health.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.100001.1-100001.8
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• 2024

In eukaryotes, a primary protein quality control (PQC) process involves the destruction of conformationally misfolded proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Because approximately one-third of eukaryotic proteomes fold and assemble within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) before being sent to their destinations, the ER plays a crucial role in PQC. The specific functions and biochemical roles of several E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in ER-associated degradation in mammals, on the other hand, are mainly unknown. We identified 2 E3 ligases, ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component N-recognin 1 (UBR1) and ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component N-recognin 2 (UBR2), which are the key N-recognins in the N-degron pathway and participate in the ER stress response in mammalian cells by modulating their stability. Cells lacking UBR1 and UBR2 are hypersensitive to ER stress-induced apoptosis. Under normal circumstances, these proteins are polyubiquitinated through Lys48-specific linkages and are then degraded by the 26S proteasome. In contrast, when cells are subjected to ER stress, UBR1 and UBR2 exhibit greater stability, potentially as a cellular adaptive response to stressful conditions. Although the precise mechanisms underlying these findings require further investigation, our findings show that cytoplasmic UBR1 and UBR2 have anti-ER stress activities and contribute to global PQC in mammals. These data also reveal an additional level of complexity within the mammalian ER-associated degradation system, implicating potential involvement of the N-degron pathway.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.239-256
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Over the past 10 yrs, the prevalence of diabetes in Korea has continued to incline, and the importance of lifestyle modification to manage diabetes has been highlighted. For patients with diabetes, carbohydrate intake reduction is effective in improving glycemic control; thus, we aimed to analyze the effect of carbohydrate intake ratio and suggest an appropriate carbohydrate intake ratio. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2021), we analyzed the data including participants aged 30 yrs or older with diabetes, and they were stratified into good and poor glycemic control groups. To analyze the correlation between the dietary behavior characteristics of participants with diabetes and the carbohydrate intake ratio, sociodemographic characteristics, dietary behavior, and health behavior were adjusted, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to present the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: In the unadjusted crude model, when carbohydrate intake ratio in total energy intake increased by 1%, the likelihood of poor glycemic control increased by 1.007-fold (95% CI, 0.998-1.016; P = 0.121). In model 1, which uses age and sex as adjustment variables, an increase of up to 1.011-fold was possible (95% CI, 1.001-1.021; P = 0.008). In model 2, which added variables such as diabetes duration, frequency of fruit consumption, frequency of lunch and, frequency of dinner, the risk of poor glycemic control increased by 1.010-fold as the carbohydrate intake ratio increased (95% CI, 0.998-1.022; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that as the ratio of carbohydrate intake to total energy intake increases the likelihood of poor glycemic control also increases in patients with diabetes. Therefore, to improve glycemic control in patients with diabetes, controlling the carbohydrate intake may be helpful.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.257-268
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet among Korean baby boomers and their levels of psychosocial stress. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study included 1,656 adults (889 men and 797 women) born between 1955 and 1963 who participated in the 2005-2006 survey of the community-based Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The Mediterranean-type diet score (MTDS) was calculated from the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) data. The psychosocial stress levels were calculated using the psychosocial well-being indexshort form (PWI-SF). Logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the association between the MTDS (tertiles) and the prevalence of high psychosocial stress by gender. RESULTS: The ranges of the MTDS tertile groups were T1 (20-33 points), T2 (34-37 points), and T3 (38-39 points) for men, T1 (20-33 points), T2 (34-37 points), and T3 (38-48 points) for women. In both men and women, the consumption of whole grains, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fish increased with higher MTDS, while the consumption of red meat and dairy products decreased (P for trend < 0.05). As MTDS score increased the intake of energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals (P for trend < 0.05). Men in the highest MTDS tertile had a 41% lower odds ratio (OR) of high psychosocial stress compared with those in the lowest tertile (OR, 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.91). Similarly, women in the highest tertile of the MTDS had a 39% lower OR of high psychosocial stress compared with those in the lowest tertile (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40-0.95). CONCLUSION: Promoting adherence to the Mediterranean diet among baby boomers may have a positive impact on reducing their levels of psychosocial stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2024

Objectives: To evaluate the levels of exposure to organic compounds during aircraft disinfection and seat cover replacement operations. Methods: According to the working schedule, organic compounds were collected using activated carbon tubes and then analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MSD. Results: In the disinfection task, the main substances listed in the material safety data sheet (MSDS) of the disinfectant were not detected. However, 1-bromopropane, which had been used in the previous task of replacing seat covers, was detected at a level of 2.37 ppm at the measurement time. During seat cover replacement, bonding workers were exposed to 2.48 ppm on an eight-hour time-weighted average, and seat cover replacement workers were exposed to 0.22 ppm. Conclusions: It is necessary to ensure the reliability of MSDS. A work environment management system is necessary when different companies alternate working in the same place.