• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2024.07a
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• pp.1293-1293
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• 2024

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly utilized in the construction industry for diverse applications. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) offers practical experiences and educational opportunities for workers, enhancing productivity and safety. Efforts to optimize IVR involve analyzing biometric responses to monitor concentration, assess learning efficiency, and deliver personalized content. However, IVR faces challenges such as high production costs and prolonged production periods. Additionally, integrating biometric response recording into IVR experiences requires separate modules, further extending production timelines. To address these challenges, an integrated platform is necessary to streamline IVR production, user experience, and biometric response setup and recording. This study introduces such a platform designed to enhance the efficacy of IVR experiences through real-time biometric response analysis. The proposed platform comprises three main processes: (i) IVR content production using Unity; (ii) biometric response definition; and (iii) IVR content experience accompanied by generated logs for biometric responses. Firstly, IVR content production using Unity involves the development of IVR environments and scenarios. The platform incorporates diverse 3D models, including urban landscapes, building elements, and furniture, as the basis for IVR environments. Scenarios are constructed by integrating events into these environments, triggered by conditions such as reaching specific locations, the passage of time, or user interactions. Upon event activation, participants are presented with description UIs, quiz UIs, or route guidance, facilitating engagement and progression through interaction. Secondly, biometric responses encompass eye tracking and EEG. Eye tracking captures pupil diameter and fixation status on Areas of Interest (AOI), defined during IVR content production. EEG recording options include signals from each channel by default, as well as frequency-specific signals and EEG metrics such as attention, stress, fatigue, valence, and arousal. The platform supports the addition of new EEG metrics, enhancing customization and recording capabilities. Lastly, IVR content can be experienced alongside generated logs for biometric responses. The dataset enables monitoring and evaluation of participants' learning performance during IVR experiences, with the potential to enhance worker safety and productivity through immersive practical training and education.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.173-200
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• 2024

This study investigates the dynamics of the digital divide and social inclusion in a society increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence (AI) by 2035. Using a 2×2 matrix scenario analysis, the research explores future scenarios based on two axes: the level of AI technological advancement and societal response. The scenarios range from an "Inclusive AI Society," characterized by advanced AI technology and comprehensive societal measures, to an "AI Polarized Society," marked by rapid AI advancement but fragmented social responses, exacerbating inequalities. The study emphasizes the critical role of both technological and social strategies in addressing the challenges of AI-driven societies. It provides policy recommendations to mitigate potential disparities, highlighting the need for inclusive education, equitable access to AI benefits, and adaptive governance frameworks. The findings aim to inform policymakers and stakeholders about the impacts of AI on social inclusion and the digital divide, proposing strategies for fostering a balanced and equitable AI future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.490-498
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• 2024

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with coverage in community-directed treatment with ivermectin for onchocerciasis control in savannah and forest areas in the Central African Republic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 districts where onchocerciasis is endemic. We employed a pretested and validated questionnaire that included questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and variables relevant to coverage assessment. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the associations between surveyed mass drug administration (MDA) coverage and the variables considered, while accounting for potential confounding factors. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: At the district level, the MDA program achieved a reach of 87.29% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.03 to 88.55) in Bossangoa and 61.74% (95% CI, 59.56 to 63.92) in Kemo, compared to the reported rates of 90.02% and 91.70%, respectively. Women in both Bossangoa and Kemo were 1.28 times more likely to have taken ivermectin than men (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.47; p=0.008; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.00; p=0.041, respectively). The age groups of 5-14, 15-24, and 25-34 were statistically associated with better distribution coverage in both districts. Individuals with knowledge of onchocerciasis were more likely to receive ivermectin compared to those without knowledge, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.41 (95% CI, 1.11 to 2.01; p=0.030) and 3.19 (95% CI, 2.91 to 4.08; p=0.001), respectively. Conclusions: The authors recommend implementing measures to improve MDA coverage in future campaigns. These measures should include allocating sufficient time for MDA activities, providing health education, and mobilising the entire population.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.59.1-59.10
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• 2024

Importance: Despite advancements in herd management, feeding, and pharmaceutical interventions, neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) remains a major global health concern. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites are the major contributors to NCD. Although several pathogens have been identified in the Republic of Korea (ROK), the etiological agents of numerous NCD cases have not been identified. Objective: To identify, for the first time, the prevalence and impact of Boosepivirus (BooV) on calf diarrhea in the ROK. Methods: Here, the unknown cause of calf diarrhea was determined using metagenomics We then explored the prevalence of certain pathogens, including BooV, that cause NCD. Seventy diarrheal fecal samples from Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) calves were analyzed using reverse transcriptase and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for pathogen detection and BooV isolate sequencing. Results: The complete genome of BooV was detected from unknown causes of calf diarrhea. And also, BooV was the most frequently detected pathogen (35.7%) among 8 pathogens in 70 diarrheic feces from Hanwoo calves. Co-infection analyses indicated that most BooV-positive samples were solely infected with BooV, indicating its significance in NCD in the ROK. All isolates were classified as BooV B in phylogenetic analysis. Conclusions and Relevance: This is the first study to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of BooV in calf diarrhea in the ROK, highlighting the potential importance of BooV as a causative agent of calf diarrhea and highlighting the need for further research on its epidemiology and pathogenicity.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out experiences of dental hygienists working on dental care sites, to prevent potential malpractice accidents and disputes, and to examine why it is necessary to provide corresponding education or training courses. As a result, this study came to the following conclusions: 1. It was found that 32.5% had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes, and 55.0% of such experienced group had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes concerned with dental hygienists. 2. According to inquiry on whether dental hygienists have certain liability for malpractice disputes, it was found that 66.3% respondents ascribed the medical liability to dental hygienists. And according to inquiry for those respondents on liability ratio, it was found that 57.1% of them thought 11%~30% as appropriate liability ratio. 3. According to survey on extent of doubts about potential malpractice accidents and disputes in future, it was found that 72.4% respondents sometimes had doubts about them. 4. It was found that 64.2% respondents thought it necessary and urgent to provide education related to prevention and countermeasures for malpractice disputes.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2020

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is one of the six greenhouse gases, and it is essential to reduce N₂O by showing a global warming potential (GWP) equivalent to 310 times that of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a technology that converts ammonia into harmless N₂ and H₂O by using ammonia as a reducing agent to remove NOx, one of the air pollutants; the process also produces high denitrification efficiency. In this study, the Fe-BEA catalyst was steam-treated at 100 ℃ for 2 h before Fe ion exchange in the fixed bed reactor in order to investigate the effect of the steam-treated Fe-BEA catalyst on the NH₃-SCR reaction. NH₃-SCR reaction test of synthesized catalysts was performed at WHSV = 180 h^-1, 370 to 400 ℃ in the fixed bed reactor. The Fe-BEA(100) catalyst steam-treated at 100 ℃ showed a somewhat higher activity than the Fe-BEA catalyst at 370 to 390 ℃. The catalysts were characterized by BET, ICP, NH₃-TPD, H₂-TPR, and ²⁷Al MAS NMR in order to determine the cause affecting NH₃-SCR activity. The H₂-TPR result confirmed that the Fe-BEA(100) catalyst had a higher reduction of isolated Fe³⁺ than the Fe-BEA catalyst, and that the steam treatment increased the amount of isolated Fe³⁺ as an active species, thus increasing the activity.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2010

Recreation forests are in the spotlight as the place for personality development, mind and body comfort, companionship, and environment education in forests and valleys. Visitors to recreation forests have been on the increase along with booming in recreation forest building since 1988. Recreation forests are being categorized according to some features such as regional and environmental condition. Recreation forests, however, have not met the expectations of some visitors who want to take a rest with calmness due to the influence of the 5-day-work-week system, increasing interest in rest, leisure, and well-being, and users converge during weekends, summer, and the tourist season. In order to improve visitors' satisfaction efficiently, this study surveyed the level of satisfaction in each cluster based on the precedent study which had classified 85 national or public recreation forests in Korea into clusters. Questionnaires were distributed properly to each cluster and, of the 1,132 questionnaires collected, 1,015 were valid and used for analysis. Reliability of questionnaires and statistical validity of the model were verified. As a result, there are meaningful differences in the ranking of independent variables which affect the level of satisfaction according to clusters. Variables in rest and fatigue recovery have the strongest influence on the level of satisfaction in the clusters of potential factor, internal activation factor, and mixed potential capacity factor. In the use performance and visiting condition factor cluster, appropriateness of visit cost is most influential and, in the education cluster, connectivity with tourist attractions around it is most affective. These results can provide priority in services and maintenance of recreation forests for improving the level of satisfaction and differentiate the distribution of resources according to clusters.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.295-303
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• 2018

Inland wetlands in the Republic of Korea provide key breeding and wintering habitats, while coastal wetlands provide nutrient-rich habitats for stopover sites for East Asia/Australasia Flyway(EAAF) migrants. However, since the 1960's, Korea has reclaimed these coastal wetlands gradually for agriculture and urban expansion. The habitat loss has rippled across global populations of migrant shorebirds in EAAF. To protect a similar loss, the United States, specifically Missouri, developed the moist-soil management technique. Wetland impoundments are constructed from levees with water-flow control gates with specific soils, topography, available water sources, and target goals. The impoundments are subjected to a combination of carefully timed and regulated flooding and drawdown regimes with occasional soil disturbance. This serves a dual purpose of removing undesirable vegetation, while maximizing habitat and forage for wildlife. Flooding and drawdown schedules must be dynamic with constantly shifting climate conditions. Korea's latitude ($N33^{\circ}25^{\prime}{\sim}N38^{\circ}37^{\prime}$) is comparable to Missouri ($N36^{\circ}69^{\prime}{\sim}N40^{\circ}41^{\prime}$); as such, moist-soil management could prove to be an effective wetland restoration technique for Korea. In order to meet specific conservation goals (i.e. shorebird staging site restoration), it is necessary to test the proposed methodology on a site that can meet the required specifications for moist-soil management. Moist-soil management has the potential to not only create key habitat for endangered wildlife, but also provide valuable ecosystem services, including water filtration.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-21
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• 1997

The objective of this paper is to think about what structural reforms of the Korean government S&T development management system might be. Korean society is currently experiencing a drastic socio-economic transformation. The results of this transformation should be reflected on the determining process of the directions and breadths of structural reforms of government S&T development management system. Because the government system design will be based on the premises of socio-economic conditions under which administrative activities perform and also this socio-economic changes can influence on changes of the premises of government management system design. Moreover, S&T development management system is a subsystem of government system so that the directions of structural reform of those subsystems should be considered in the broad framework changes in the development management system of the government. For the last forty years, the Korean government S&T development management system has been based on the premises including transformation from an agrarian society to an industrial society, authoritarianism and centrally controlled institutions, and exteremely small portions of private investments for science and thechonology R & D of the total. Recently, however, the premises of Korean government S&T development management system have rapidly changed. the characteristics of these changes are including tranformation from an industrial society to a knowledge and information intensive society, globalization, localization, and relatively large portion of private investments for science and technology R & C of the total. The basis of government reforms in Korea was the realization of the performances and values through the enhancement of national competitive capacity, attainment of lean government, decentralization and autonomy. However, the Korean government has attached a symbolic value of strategic organizations representing strong policy intentions of government for the science and technology based development. Most problems associated with the Korean government S&T development management system have grown worse during 1990s. Many people perceive that considerable part of this problem was generated because the government could not properly adapt itself to new administrative environment and the paradigm shift in its role. First of all, the Korean government S&T development management system as a whole failed to develop an integrated vision under which processes in formulating science and thechology development goals and developing consistent government plans concerning science and technology development are guided. Second, most of the local governments have little organizational capacity and manpowers to handle localized activities to promote science and technology in their regions. Third, the measure to coordinate and set priorities to invest resources for the development of science and technology was not effective. Fourth, the Most has been losing its reputation as the symbol of ideological commitment of the top policy maker to promote science and technology. Various ideas to reform government S&T development management system have been suggested recently. Most frequently cited ideas are as follow : (ⅰ)strengthen the functions of MoST by supplementing the strong incentive and regulatory measures; (ⅱ)create a new Ministry of Education, Science & Technology and Research by merging the Ministry of Education and the MoST; (ⅲ)create a new Ministry of Science & Technology and Industry ; and(ⅳ)create a National Science and Technology Policy Council under the chairmanship of the President. Four alternatives suggested have been widely discussed among the interested parties and they each have merits as well as weaknesses. The first alternative could be seen as an alternative which cannot resolve current conflicts among various ministries concerning priority setting and resource allocation. However, this alternatives can be seen as a way of showing the top policymaker's strong intention to emphasize science and technology based development. Second alternative is giving a strategic to emphasize on the training and supplying qualified manpower to meet knowledge and information intensive future society. This alternative is considered to be consistent with the new administrative paradigm emphasizing lean government and decentralization. However, opponents are worrying about the linkages and cooperative research between university and industry could be weakening. The third alternative has been adopted mostly in nations which have strong basic science research but weak industrial innovation traditions. Main weakness of this alternative for Korea is that Korean science and technology development system has no strong basic science and technology research traditions. The fourth alternative is consistent with new administrative paradigms and government reform bases. However, opponents to this alternative are worried that the intensive development of science and technology because of Korea's low potential research capabilities in science and technology development. Considerning the present Korean socio-economic situation which demands highly qualified human resources and development strategies which emphasizes the accumulations of knowledge-based stocks, I would like to suggest the route of creating a new Ministry of Education, Science & Technology and Research by intergrating education administration functions and science & technology development function into one ministry.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.417-424
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• 2015

In this study, the relationship between selenoprotein concentrations in blood and stomach cancer have been searched for Korean. The concentration of each selenoprotein in blood serum was analyzed and the correlation between the concentration and stomach cancer was studied to find a potential for using Selenium as a biomarker. In concentration determination, a simple calibration curve method was used with the monitoring of m/z 78 without the use of solid phase extraction. This is a lot more simple than the method using SPE with post column isotope dilution. The result obtained from the analysis of CRM BCR-637, 72.20±3.35 ng·g⁻¹, showed similar value of reference value (81±7 ng·g⁻¹). The total concentration of Se for the controlled group, cardiovascular patients group, was 105.70±21.20 ng·g⁻¹. This value was the same as normal healthy person reported earlier. Each selenoprotein concentration of GPx, SelP and SeAlb was 26.12±7.84, 65.15±14.50, 14.43±6.99 ng·g⁻¹, respectively. The distribution of each selenoprotein was 24.7%, 61.6%, and 13.7%, which was similar to the normal person. The result of stomach cancer patients, the total concentration of Se was 76.11±28.12 ng·g⁻¹ and each concentration of GPx, SelP and SeAlb was 15.41±9.01, 50.83±17.91, and 9.87±5.21 ng·g⁻¹, respectively. The total and each selenoprotein concentration level showed significant decrease for the stomach cancer patients. The level of decrease was 41.0% for GPx, 22.0% for SelP, and 31.6% for SeAlb. However, the distribution of each selenoprotein was not much different. Either total Selenium or each selenoprotein could be used as a possible index for the diagnosis of cancer. However, in age group study, it is shown that young age group (30's-40's) did not show much difference.