• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.78-95
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the results of the 2022 Gyeonggi-do Oriental Medicine Fertility Treatment Support Project, review the outcomes and satisfaction of Oriental Medicine fertility support initiatives, and propose progressive fertility treatment support strategies by comparing them with the results of the past three years. Methods: Total of 242 women and 205 spouses participated in the Korean Medicine fertility treatment support project, which encompassed herbal medicine, acupuncture, and counseling treatments over a 3-month period, followed by a 3-month post-treatment follow-up. Data pertaining to patients' general, demographic, and fertility-related characteristics were collected before treatment initiation. During treatment, information regarding the treatments administered by Korean medical doctors was recorded, along with post-treatment outcomes and satisfaction levels. Safety assessments included pre- and post-treatment blood tests and monitoring for adverse events. Results: Among the 242 female subjects, 209 successfully completed the treatment program. Of these, 35 (16.7%) achieved pregnancy, with 30 (15%) attaining pregnancy through herbal monotherapy. Out of the 35 pregnancies, 17 were maintained, while 10 resulted in miscarriage. Notably, 83.8% of patients expressed satisfaction with the treatment outcomes. An analysis spanning three years revealed a continuous increase in the average age of patients, surpassing 38 years in 2022, a critical point in fertility decline age. Additionally, there was a notable rise in the prevalence of patients with a history of gynecological issues, advanced spouse age, and semen abnormalities, which is assumed to have contributed to the decrease in the pregnancy success rate. Conclusions: This study compares the clinical results of the 2022 Gyeonggi-do Korean Medicine Fertility Treatment Support Project with those of the past three years. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to enhance the project, including stricter age criteria for patient selection, enhanced specialized treatment tools for medical doctors, and combining Korean Medicine treatment and medical assisted reproductive technologies, all aimed at increasing pregnancy success rates. These results provide a foundation for the development of fertility support projects and related policies.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.12-32
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• 2023

Nowadays, the increasing number of religious travelers seeking inner healing has led to the popularity of Buddhist 'temple stays', Protestant and Catholic 'retreats' as alternative vacations. However, unlike Buddhist temples, which are inculturated, Christian retreat centers follow the formula of general recreational facilities and lack an overall framework due to relying on sponsorship. This study attempts to design appropriate outdoor environments for a retreat by reflecting 'theological aesthetics' based on the process of 'Spiritual Exercises', the main method of retreat. First, as the Spiritual Exercises are often described as an 'inner pilgrimage', the images and theological aesthetics experienced in prayer themes were examined. Next, the characteristics of the spaces required for the facility were analyzed, and the composition of religious spaces was proposed. Also the landscape resources of the site were investigated, and the retreatants' behavior to derive spatial preferences was analyzed. Overall, outdoor spaces were planned to induce a shift in consciousness and broaden the spectrum of the retreatants' experience through a physical environment consistent with the mechanism of prayer. This study aimed to implement theological aesthetics by selecting a retreat center with high potential for landscape resources. As a result, it was possible to reveal the 'poetic landscape' to effectively evoke images during 'contemplative prayer', and to support religious experience. The significance of this study lied in deriving various design vocabularies for outdoor spaces of religious facilities.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.53-82
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• 2007

This study, driven by the question of 'what the experience of healing of female sexual abuse victims is like,' explores the process the victims undergo as they heal from the traumas. Using the methods suggested by Strauss and Corbin's Grounded theory, it analyzes nine interviews taken from victims who have received counseling. The study found that the central phenomena that take place in the process of their healing is 'mental pain due to the damage caused by sexual abuse,' the causal conditions are 'the recognition of the sexual abuse' and 'desperation,' and the contextual conditions are 'the reaction of the close ones of the victims,' 'the preconception about sexuality,' and 'the incarceration and punishment of the offenders.' The victims have been intervened in the healing process by 'being supported' and 're-interpreting the meaning of the damage caused by sexual abuse,' and are found to utilize the interactive strategy among 'facing their emotions,' 'learning new coping strategies,' and 'hoping for the future.' They are also found, as a result of the healing, to 'live unafraid as survivors' and 'have structured their lives in a new way.' This study is of significance in systematically elucidating the healing process and the related elements found through the voices of the survivors of sexual abuse in the context of the Korean society and culture. The limits of this study and suggestions about the studies that should follow this one are included as well.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.251-265
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to deduce key indicators in evaluating the pedestrian environment for the elderly in Busan, which has entered an aging society, and to propose policy improvement measures. The key indicators were selected based on prior research and surveys, and the effectiveness of those indicators were measured through evaluations conducted on three places which have the highest proportion of the elderly population in Busan. The summaries of analysis are as follow. First, the three places are hillslide residential areas, and areas of activity that the elderly have were very narrow due to the restrictions on their movement caused by slope. Second, the areas were filled with a number of illegally parked vehicles. And the degree of segregation of pedestrian and vehicle and the level of safety were very low. Third, the streets with steep slopes of the target site force the elderly to move vertically, and for this reason, the elderly are expressing difficulties in outdoor activities. Fourth, it was found that the target site lacked a space for relaxation during outdoor activities. The poor walking environment not only limit the essential and social activities of the elderly, but also adversely affects the health and quality of life of the elderly. In order to maintain the health of the elderly and improve the quality of life, actions should be taken to improve the walking factors that affect the movement and external activities of the elderly.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.79-88
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• 2024

The study aim was to investigate the relationship between adolescents' physical activity and subjective health perceptions and determine whether body mass index (BMI), an obesity-related indicator, had a mediating or moderating effect on this relationship. To achieve the purpose of this study, raw data from the 18th Youth Health Behavior Online Survey (2022) were used, and data from 23,612 people were ultimately selected for the research analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to the data, and bootstrapping techniques were used to verify the mediating effect. To verify the moderating effect, a multigroup analysis of the structural equation model was applied to calculate pairwise parameter comparison values. All statistical significance levels were set at .05. The results of this study follow. First, the greater the amount of physical activity among adolescents, the more positive was the effect on subjective health perception. Second, subjective body type perception had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between physical activity and subjective health perception. Third, subjective body type had a moderating effect on physical activity and subjective health perception. Specifically, people who perceived their subjective body types as average viewed their subjective health more positively when they engaged in more physical activity than those who perceived their body types as slightly or very overweight. In conclusion, preventing obesity and positively changing the subjective health status through sufficient physical activity during adolescence are important.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.732-741
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• 2022

Objective: To determine the impact of dedicated subspecialized radiologists in multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions on the management of lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract malignancies. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 244 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 61.7 ± 11.9 years) referred to MDT discussions 249 times (i.e., 249 cases, as five patients were discussed twice for different issues) for lower GI tract malignancy including colorectal cancer, small bowel cancer, GI stromal tumor, and GI neuroendocrine tumor between April 2018 and June 2021 in a prospective database. Before the MDT discussions, dedicated GI radiologists reviewed all imaging studies again besides routine clinical reading. The referring clinician's initial diagnosis, initial treatment plan, change in radiologic interpretation compared with the initial radiology report, and the MDT's consensus recommendations for treatment were collected and compared. Factors associated with changes in treatment plans and the implementation of MDT decisions were analyzed. Results: Of the 249 cases, radiologic interpretation was changed in 73 cases (29.3%) after a review by dedicated GI radiologists, with 78.1% (57/73) resulting in changes in the treatment plan. The treatment plan was changed in 92 cases (36.9%), and the rate of change in the treatment plan was significantly higher in cases with changes in radiologic interpretation than in those without (78.1% [57/73] vs. 19.9% [35/176], p < 0.001). Follow-up records of patients showed that 91.2% (227/249) of MDT recommendations for treatment were implemented. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the nonsurgical approach (vs. surgical approach) decided through MDT discussion was a significant factor for patients being managed differently than the MDT recommendations (odds ratio, 4.48; p = 0.017). Conclusion: MDT discussion involving additional review of radiology examinations by dedicated GI radiologists resulted in a change in the treatment plan in 36.9% of cases. Changes in treatment plans were significantly associated with changes in radiologic interpretation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.555-565
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• 2022

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Materials and Methods: This prospective study enrolled 39 participants (14 male, 25 female; mean age, 59.5 ± 15.3 [range, 18-87] years) between September 1, 2018, and January 31, 2021. All participants had parathyroid lesions causing PHPT, proven biochemically and through imaging. The imaging features of the PHPT nodules, including the shape, margin, size, composition, and location, were evaluated before treatment. Serum intact parathyroid hormone, calcium, and phosphorus levels; parathyroid nodule volume; and PHPT-related symptoms were recorded before and after treatment. We calculated the technical success, biochemical cure, and clinical cure rates for these patients. Complications were evaluated during and after the ablation. Results: Complete ablation was achieved in 38 of the 39 nodules in the 39 enrolled participants. All the patients were treated in one session. The technical success rate was 97.4% (38/39). The mean follow-up duration was 13.2 ± 4.6 (range, 6.0-24.9) months. At 6 and 12 months post-RFA, the biochemical cure rates were 82.1% (32/39) and 84.4% (27/32), respectively, and the clinical cure rates were 100% (39/39) and 96.9% (31/32), respectively. Only 2.6% (1/39) of the patients had recurrent PHPT. At 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after technically successful RFA, 44.7% (17/38), 34.3% (12/35), 15.8% (6/38), and 12.5% (4/32) of participants, respectively, had elevated eucalcemic parathyroid hormone levels. Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis occurred in 5.1% (2/39) of the patients, who recovered spontaneously within 1-3 months. Conclusion: US-guided RFA was effective and safe for PHPT patients. RFA may be an alternative treatment tool for patients who cannot tolerate or refuse to undergo surgery.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.217-225
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• 2024

To foster the core talents of the future, the development of diverse and substantial SW·AI education programs is required, and a systematic system that can assist public education in SW and AI must be established. In this study, we develop and combine SW·AI education modules to construct a SW and AI education program applicable to public education. We also establish a systematic education system and provide sustainable SW·AI education to elementary, middle, and high school students through 'Job's Garage Camp' based on various sharing platforms. By creating a sustainable follow-up educational environment, students are encouraged to continue their self-directed learning of SW and AI. As a result of conducting a pre-post survey of students participating in the 'Job's Garage Camp', the post-survey values improved compared to the pre-survey values in all areas of 'interest', 'understanding and confidence', and 'career aspirations'. Based on these results, it can be confirmed that students had a universal positive perception and influence on SW and AI. Therefore, if the operation case of 'Job's Garage Camp' is improved and expanded, it can be presented as a standard model applicable to other SW and AI education programs in the future.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.313-316
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• 2023

Attenuated portal vein (PV) flow is challenging in pediatric liver transplantation (LT) because it is unsuitable for classic end-to-end jump graft reconstruction from a small superior mesenteric vein (SMV). We thus introduce a novel technique of an end-to-side jump graft from SMV during pediatric LT using an adult partial liver graft. We successfully performed two cases of end-to-side retropancreatic jump graft using an iliac vein graft for PV reconstruction. One patient was a 2-year-old boy with hepatoblastoma and a Yerdel grade 3 PV thrombosis who underwent split LT. Another patient was an 8-month-old girl who had biliary atresia and PV hypoplasia with stenosis on the confluence level of the SMV; she underwent retransplantation because of graft failure related to PV thrombosis. After native PV was resected at the SMV confluence level, an end-to-side reconstruction was done from the proximal SMV to an interposition iliac vein. The interposition vein graft through posterior to the pancreas was obliquely anastomosed to the graft PV. There was no PV related complication during the follow-up period. Using a jump vascular graft in an end-to-side manner to connect the small native SMV and the large graft PV is a feasible treatment option in pediatric recipients with inadequate portal flow due to thrombosis or hypoplasia of the PV.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 2024

In major wars of the 21st century, drones are expanding beyond surveillance and reconnaissance to include land and air as well as sea and underwater for purposes such as precision strikes, suicide attacks, and cognitive warfare. These drones will perform multi-domain operations, and to this end, they will continue to develop by improving the level of autonomy and strengthening scalability based on the High-Low Mix concept. Recently, drones have been used as a major means in major wars around the world, and there seems to be a good chance that they will evolve into game changers in the future. North Korea has also been making significant efforts to operate reconnaissance and attack drones for a long time. North Korea has recently continued to engage in provocations using drones, and its capabilities are gradually becoming more sophisticated. In addition, with the recent emergence of new strategic Drones, wartime and peacetime threats such as North Korea's use of these to secure surveillance, reconnaissance and early warning capabilities against South Korea and new types of provocations are expected to be strengthened. Through this study, we hope to provide implications by analyzing the capabilities of North Korea's strategic Drones, predicting their operation patterns, and conducting active follow-up research on the establishment of a comprehensive strategy, such as our military's drone deployment and counter-drone system solutions.