• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.8.1-8.8
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• 2015

Background: The demand for healthy, lean and consistent meat products containing low saturated fatty acid content and high quality polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially long-chain (${\geq}C_{20}$) omega-3 PUFA, has increased in recent times. Fat deposition is altered by both the genetic background and dietary supplements, and this study aimed to assess the effect of dietary Spirulina supplementation levels on the mRNA expression patterns of genes controlling lipid metabolism in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and Longissimus dorsi (ld) muscle of Australian crossbred sheep. Methods: Twenty-four weaned lambs belonging to four breeds under the same management conditions were maintained on ryegrass pasture and fed three levels of Spirulina supplement (control, low and high). In terms of nutrient composition, Spirulina is a nutrient-rich supplement that contains all essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also is a rich source of carotenoids and fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that infer health benefits. After slaughter, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and ld samples were subjected to mRNA extraction and reverse transcription using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to assess the mRNA expression levels of the Aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), Adrenergic beta-3 receptor (ADRB3), B-cell translocation gene 2 (BTG2) and Fatty acid synthase (FASN) genes, which are associated with lipid metabolism. Results: Both low and high Spirulina supplementation levels strongly up-regulated the transcription of all the selected genes in both SAT and ld tissues (mostly in the subcutaneous adipose), but sheep breed and sex did not influence the gene expression patterns in these tissues. Conclusions: The evidence indicates that high Spirulina supplementation level resulted in a decrease in intramuscular fat content in Australian purebred and crossbred sheep due to the enhanced production of melatonin in sheep muscle tissues and strong up-regulation of mRNA expression of BTG2 in SAT which negatively affected fat deposition. In contrast, low Spirulina supplementation level strongly up-regulated the ADRB3 and FASN genes responsible for fat production. These findings are consistent with the observed phenotypic data suggesting that low Spirulina supplementation level can increase lamb production, with higher long-chain PUFA content.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.401-408
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• 2020

This study was undertaken among students majoring in Emergency Medical Technology, to comprehend the knowledge, attitudes and preventive behaviors associated with MERS. This study further provides basic data for education related to MERS prevention. A total of 167 students were enrolled in the study. Evaluation of MERS education revealed a higher number of inexperienced subjects: 74 experienced(44.3%) vs. 93 inexperienced(55.7%). Assessing the attitude items for MERS revealed that "have to wear personal protective equipment when dealing with MERS patients" ranked highest (average, 4.54 ± 0.87), whereas "washed my hands more often than usual" ranked highest (average, 3.82 ± 1.06) in the prevention items for MERS. Analyzing the correlation between attitude towards MERS and preventive behavior revealed that "canceled or delayed meeting with friends, eating out, watching sports, shopping, etc." showed that, although negatively correlated, a greater attitude showed a higher level of prevention (r=-0.63, p<0.004). Taken together, results of this study indicate the necessity to develop an education program that improves the level of education and knowledge about MERS, and to impart this education systematically and repeatedly.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.416-423
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• 2020

Objective: This study examined the effects of divergence in residual feed intake (RFI) on expression profiles of key genes related to lipid transport in the liver and duodenal epithelium and their associations with feed efficiency traits in meat-type ducks. Methods: A total of 1,000 male ducks with similar body weight (1,042.1±87.2 g) were used in this study, and their individual RFI was calculated from 21 to 42 d of age. Finally, the 10 highest RFI (HRFI) and 10 lowest RFI (LRFI) ducks were chosen for examining the expression of key genes related to lipid transport in the liver and duodenal epithelium using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: In the liver, expression levels of albumin (ALB), CD36 molecule (CD36), fatty acid hydroxylase domain containing 2 (FAXDC2), and choline kinase alpha (CHKA) were significantly higher in LRFI ducks than in HRFI ducks (p<0.01); negative correlations (p<0.05) between expression levels of ALB, CD36, FAXDC2, and CHKA and RFI were detected in the liver. Additionally, ALB expression was strongly positively correlated (p<0.05) with CD36, FAXDC2, CHKA, and apolipoprotein H (APOH) expression in the liver. In duodenal epithelium, we found that mRNA levels of ALB, CD36, FAXDC2, and APOH were significantly higher in LRFI ducks than in HRFI ducks (p<0.01); RFI was strongly negatively correlated (p<0.05) with ALB, FAXDC2, and APOH expression, while ALB expression was strongly positively correlated with APOH expression (p<0.01) in duodenal epithelium. Furthermore, expression levels of both ALB and FAXDC2 genes were significantly associated with feed conversion ratio and RFI in both liver and duodenal epithelium (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings therefore suggest that ALB and FAXDC2 genes might be used as potential gene markers designed to improve feed efficiency in future meat-type duck breeding programs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.145-150
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• 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate gene expression and act as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in oncogenesis. The association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in miR-146a rs2910164 and susceptibility to digestive system cancers was inconsistent in previous studies. In this study, we conducted a literature search of PubMed to identify all relevant studies published before August 31, 2013. A total of 21 independent case-control studies were included in this updated meta-analysis with 9,558 cases and 10,614 controls. We found that the miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism was significantly associated with decreased risk of digestive system cancers in an allele model (OR=0.90, 95%CI 0.87-0.94), homozygote model (OR=0.84, 95%CI 0.77-0.91), dominant model (OR=0.90, 95%CI 0.84-0.96), and recessive model (OR=0.85, 95%CI 0.79-0.91), while in a heterozygous model (OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.89-1.11) the association showed marginal significance. Subgroup analysis by cancer site revealed decreased risk in colorectal cancer above allele model (OR=0.90, 95%CI 0.83-0.97) and homozygote model (OR=0.85, 95%CI 0.72-1.00). Similarly, decreased cancer risk was observed when compared with allele model (OR=0.87, 95%CI 0.81-0.93) and recessive model (OR=0.81, 95%CI 0.72-0.90) in gastric cancer. When stratified by ethnicity, genotyping methods and quality score, decreased cancer risks were also observed. This current meta-analysis indicated that miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism may decrease the susceptibility to digestive system cancers, especially in Asian populations.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.65-98
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• 2007

Wetland provides various environmental services as well as marketable goods to human society. This paper presents a meta-analysis of the wetland valuation studies conducted in Korea during the past decade. Meta-analysis is a technique of summarizing research results from the separate but related studies using statistical methods. The objectives of the paper is to identify the main factors affecting the wetland values and to examine the applicability of meta-regression analysis for summarizing the information from valuation studies of natural ecosystem. The total of 64 observations from 24 studies are assembled, and we observe significant differences in wetland values depending on the characteristics of the studies. With the statistical significance, our results indicate that the method employed affects the wetland values while the wetland function evaluated affects little. In addition, we found that the size of wetland is negatively associated with the values, implying that wetland values exhibit the decreasing returns to scale. The evidences from our empirical analysis suggest that the meta-analysis has a potential as a tool to synthesize the research results from valuation studies and to provide useful information to policy makers. However, this study acknowledges that more effort should be dedicated toward the construction of DB on valuation studies as well as the research on the model improvement to enhance the validity and reliability of meta-analysis.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.240-252
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• 2016

The purposes of this paper examines the extant to which congruence in leader and follower rating of LMX quality is related to organizational commitment, and perceptions of organizational politics(POPs). A conceptual model is introduced that identifies four combinations of leader and follower LMX ratings of Cogliser et al.(2009): balanced/low LMX(low leader and follower LMX), balanced/high LMX(high leader and follower LMX), follower overestimation(low leader LMX/high follower LMX), follower underestimation(high leader LMX/low follower LMX). The summary of results based on a sample of 236 matched pairs of leaders and followers in KOREA is as follows: First, balanced/high LMX and follower overestimation were associated with relatively high levels of affective organizational commitment, and perceptions of organizational politics. However, follower underestimation and balanced/low LMX was related to low levels of follower outcomes. In particular, follower underestimation and balanced/low LMX were significantly different from balanced/high LMX and follower overestimation. Second, perceptions of organizational politics was negatively related to affective organizational commitment in the four LMX relationship types. Especially, the negative relationship between POPs and organizational commitment was stronger for people who are low as compared with high in LMX quality. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings as well as directions for future research are provided.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.433-438
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Breast milk is the best available food for optimum growth and development of infants and the breastfeeding rate is increasing in Korea. The purpose of this study is to measure the concentrations of macronutrients and to evaluate their changes according to lactation period in breast milk from lactating Korean women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Milk samples were obtained from 2,632 healthy lactating women (mean age; $32.0{\pm}3.3years$), where the lactating period was up to a period of 8 months, who also volunteered to participate in the Human Milk Macronutrient Analysis Research. Lactose, protein, fat and water content in the breast milk samples were analyzed with infrared spectrometry using MilkoScan FT-2. RESULTS: The mean macronutrient composition per 100 mL of mature breast milk was 7.1 g for lactose, 1.4 g for protein and 3.0 g for fat, and energy content was 61.1 kcal. The protein concentration was significantly lower in milk samples at 1-2 weeks (2.0 g/dL) to 2-3 months (1.4 g/dL) than those at 0-1 week (2.2 g/dL), but it was similar among samples from 3-4 months to 7-8 months (1.3 g/dL). Mean lipid levels varied among different lactational period groups (2.7-3.2 g/dL), but presented no significant difference. Lactose concentration in the milk samples did not differ with lactation period. Maternal body mass index was positively related to protein and lipid breast milk contents, but was negatively related to lactose content. General linear models examining the associations between maternal variables and milk macronutrient content revealed that lactation period had a major impact on protein and lipid, but not on lactose content in breast milk. CONCLUSIONS: These results warrant future studies to explore factors that may be associated with changes in macronutrient content in human milk.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean type 2 diabetes patients. The subjects were 429 (male: 218, female: 211) type 2 DM patients visited DM clinic, and they were classified into quartiles based on $K_{ITT}$ index (%/min, Insulin Tolerance Test). Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics, and dietary intakes by Food Frequency Questionnaire were assessed. The means of waist circumference, fat mass, percent body fat and abdominal fat thickness were significantly higher in the lowest quartile (the most insulin resistant group) than in the highest quartile (the least insulin resistant group) of $K_{ITT}$ index (%/min)(p<0.05), For hematological values, the lowest quartile showed significantly higher fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide, insulin, triglyceride, ApoB/apoA-1 ratio and C-reactive protein compared to the highest quartile (p < 0.05). Moreover, $K_{ITT}$ index (%/min) was negatively correlated with waist circumference, fat mass, percent body fat, abdominal fat thickness and fasting blood concentrations of glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide, insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, ApoB/apoA-1 ratio and C-reactive protein (p < 0.05). Nutrient intakes were not significantly different among the quartile groups of $K_{ITT}$ index (%/min) and also not correlated with insulin resistance, however, they showed correlation with obesity parameters (BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, vat mass, abdominal fat thickness), which were strongly associated with insulin resistance. In conclusion, cardiovascular disease risk would be higher as the insulin resistance grows in Korean type 2 DM patients, and nutrient intakes would affect to the insulin resistance through the effect on anthropometric parameters.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.629-640
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of job stress, fatigue symptoms and job satisfaction on turnover intention among dental hygienists. Overall, 516 dental hygienists who work in dental clinics were surveyed using a standardized self-administered questionnaire from April 1 to June 30, 2015. Mean turnover intention was compared to each independent variable tested by t-tests and ANOVA, correlation among turnover intention, job stress, fatigue symptoms and job satisfaction was calculated by Pearson's correlation coefficient, and covariance structure analysis was used to evaluate whether turnover intention was associated with job stress, fatigue symptoms and job satisfaction. Turnover intention was significantly higher among subjects with higher job stress and fatigue, as well as those with lower job satisfaction. Additionally, turnover intention was significantly positively correlated with job stress and fatigue symptoms, while turnover intention was negatively correlated with job satisfaction. Covariance structure analysis revealed job stress had a greater impact on turnover intention than fatigue and job satisfaction, high job stress and fatigue, the lower the job satisfaction showed that the effect of increasing the turnover intention. Overall, these results indicate that turnover intention of dental hygienists are more heavily influenced by job satisfaction and job stress than fatigue. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce job stress and fatigue, as well as to improve job satisfaction to reduce the degree of turnover intention among dental hygienists.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2013

With environmental pollution becoming a serious problem, recently there has been increased interest in the environment and health. In addition, the development of materials for environmentally friendly and functional clothing has increased. Environmentally friendly products that use bark fibers of the mulberry(dak) tree are expressed in terms of dak fiber and Hanji yarn. This research analyzed consumer's perceived images of Hanji and Hanji yarn infant clothing. The research results are as follows. Based on analyzing images of Hanji and Hanji yarn, Hanji was categorized into four images that can be described as natural, pure, decorative, and functional, and Hanji yarn infant clothing was categorized into three images that can be described as natural, decorative, and functional. Based on the analysis of well-being elements in subjects' lifestyles, the following four inclinations were found: environmental friendliness, pursuit of novelty, life care, and environmental protection. On this basis, the subjects were categorized into three groups: the trend-pursuing group, the life-care group, and the social responsibility group. Subjects' perceived images of Hanji and Hanji yarn infant clothing were investigated, and these products were found to have a strong image of being Korean, traditional, and natural, while being weakly perceived as comfortable, functional, and practical. Analyzing the correlation between images of Hanji and Hanji yarn infant clothing and lifestyle groups revealed that these products were not perceived differently according to group. This study showed that Hanji and Hanji yarn are terms that are commonly associated with positive clothing material. However, both Hanji and Hanji yarn are perceived negatively in terms of functional image, which is an important factor in clothing material. In addition, even among consumers who pursue a lifestyle based on well-being, the functional image of Hanji yarn was not perceived highly. Hence, it is necessary to further examine the effect of terms such as Hanji and Hanji yarn on consumer choices. Therefore, caution is considered needed when using such terms in the marketing of related products.