• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.391-400
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• 2005

Objective : This study examined the socioeconomic differentials for the health and health related behaviors among South Korean middle school students. Methods : A nationwide cross-sectional interview survey of 3,449 middle school second-grade students and their parents was conducted using a stratified multi-stage cluster sampling method. The response rate was 93.3%. The socioeconomic position indicators were based on self-reported information from the students and their parents: parental education, father's occupational class, monthly family income, out-of-pocket expenditure for education, housing ownership, educational expectations, educational performance and the perceived economic hardships. The outcome variables that were measured were also based on the self-reported information from the students. The health measures included self-rated health conditions, psychological or mental problems, the feelings of loneliness at school, the overall satisfaction of life and the perceived level of stress. The health related behaviors included were smoking, alcohol drinking, sexual intercourse, violence, bullying and verbal and physical abuse by parents. Results : Socioeconomic differences for the health and health related behaviors were found among the eighth grade boys and girls of South Korea. However, the pattern varied with gender, the socioeconomic position indicators and the outcome measures. The prevalence rates of the overall dissatisfaction with life for both genders differed according to most of the eight socioeconomic position indicators. All the health measures were significantly different according to the perceived economic hardship. However, the socioeconomic differences in the self-rated health conditions and the psychosocial or mental problems were not clear. The students having higher socioeconomic position tended to be a perpetrator of bullying while those students with lower socioeconomic position were more likely to be a victim. Conclusions : The perceived economic hardships predicted the health status among the eighth graders of South Korea. The overall satisfaction of life was associated with the socioeconomic position indicators. Further research efforts are needed to explore the mechanisms on how and why the socioeconomic position affects the health and health related behaviors in this age group.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2015

With the growth of aging population in Korea, a better care of chronic and other degenerative illnesses is urgently needed. Evidences suggest that this can be achieved through incorporating a wide range of care options, expanding beyond medical interventions. The aim of this study is to analyze the distribution of publically funded research to understand if the Korean research and development funding system matches various approaches and purposes to successfully tackle the chronic care needs of an aging society. We complied the list of funded projects to be analyzed by searching the National Technical Information Service database with key words such as aging society/senescence, chronic diseases, disability, and health promotion. Most projects were based on the biomedical approach with the purpose of establishing the etiology and clinical (treatment) interventions. Health promotion projects showed a distinctive distribution with more percentage of projects based on psycho-behavioral approaches while research on chronic diseases predominantly biomedical. It would be necessary to diversify publically-funded research projects to develop effective and efficient care technologies for the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2006

This study analyzed greenspace structure focused on greenspace areas and vegetation structure for Yanggu, investigated resident attitudes to the greenspace, and explored strategies to improve greenspace functions in a rural region. Woody plant cover was approximately 29% for parks and only 3% for commercial gardens. The amount of planting for Yanggu was poor, as compared with the results of similar studies for urban areas. Trees, of which dbh was below 20cm, accounted for 91% of all trees and the tree-age structure was largely characterized by a young, growing tree population. Based on the analysis of mean importance values (MIV) of woody plant species, only a few were different in dominant species from urban areas. Four species among 10 species with highest MIV in Yanggu were very common species also ranked among 10 in cities. The most dominant species planted in residential and commercial gardens were practical plants such as fruit or edibles. Greenspace covered about 69% of parks, 39% of residential gardens, 37% of institutional gardens, 24% of streets, and 15% of commercial gardens, respectively. Tree planting potential revealed that present woody plant cover can be increased additionally by 6 times in the streets and by 2 times in the residential and commercial gardens. Based on the results of greenspace structure, planting patterns, and questionary investigation, some strategies were suggested to enlarge greenspace including its environmental functions. They included identifying each street section through setting up themes and planting appropriate species, creating multilayered vegetation structures, and promoting planting in bare grounds of gardens and around a buildings for saving energy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.111-130
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• 1978

This study of nurse educator's attitudes which found aspects of professional nursing was carried out from September 10 to 30, 1977. Subjects were 205 respondents from a total population of 314 nurse educators from the level of instructors to professors in all the diploma (post high school 3 year), professional junior college (3 year level) and university (4 year) nursing schools in Korea. Specific objectives were to determine their attitudes about the 1. social position of nursing as a profession, 2. nurses attitudes towards their word, 3. factors influencing the development of nursing, 4. the future of nursing, 5. nursing educational problems, 6. their own educational position's intrinsic job satisfaction and 7. their salary and benefits. The instrument used was a questionnaire developed from consultations with nursing educators and sociologists, and based on earlier. worts by Burke (1976), Mason (1974) and Hong 1969. Data were analysis by computer using one-way analysis. Statistically significant findings included the following; 1. Responses were positive toward all seven aspects of professional nursing. 2. Compared to diploma nursing school staff whose responses were positive, professional and university school faculty response toward the social position of nursing were neutral. 3. Faculty with clinical experience of 10 to 19 years were most positive in their responses about nurses' attitudes towards their work. In all three types of schools, in comparison to professors, associate professors' responses were more positive about nurses' attitudes toward their work. Faculty with longer clinical experience expressed high agreement with statements about factors which influence the development of nursing. Without any differences between school, all faculty had positive attitudes towards the future of nursing, the younger the staff member, the more positive were the responses. 4. faculty in diploma schools and those with 10 to 19 years clinical experience expressed high agreement with statement about nursing educational problems, 6. their own educational position's intrinsic job satisfaction and 7. their salary and benefits. The instrument used was a questionnaire developed from consultations with nursing educators and sociologists, and based on earlier. worts by Burke (1976), Mason (1974) and Hong 1969. Data were analysis by computer using one-way analysis. Statistically significant findings included the following; 1. Responses were positive toward all seven aspects of professional nursing. 2. Compared to diploma nursing school staff whose responses were positive, professional and university school faculty response toward the social position of nursing were neutral. 3. Faculty with clinical experience of 10 to 19 years were most positive in their responses about nurses' attitudes towards their work. In all three types of schools, in comparison to professors, associate professors' responses were more positive about nurses' attitudes toward their work. Faculty with longer clinical experience expressed high agreement with statements about factors which influence the development of nursing. Without any differences between school, all faculty had positive attitudes towards the future of nursing, the younger the staff member, the more positive were the responses. 4. faculty in diploma schools and those with 10 to 19 years clinical experience expressed high agreement with statement about nursing educational problems while responses from faculty from professional schools and those without clinical experience were neutral. 5. Responses showed general satisfaction with intrinsic aspects of teaching in all school. Associate professors were positive about satisfaction with salary and other benefits but full professors' responses were neutral.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2016

In this study, we isolated aromatic compounds (lignin polymers) utilizing bacteria in humus layer of oak forest and investigated phylogenetic characteristics and correlation with major bacterial populations in the humus layer by pyrosequencing. Forty-two isolates using aromatic compounds such as p-anisic acid, benzoic acid, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were isolated and phylogentic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolates belonged to the genus Rhizobium, Sphingomonas, Burkhorlderia, and Pseudomonas. Among these, Burkhorlderia species which belong to Betaproteobacteria class occupied 83% among the isolates. The bacterial populations in humus layer of oak forest were characterized by next generation pyrosequencing based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The humus sample produced 7,862 reads, 1,821 OTUs and 6.76 variability index with 97% of significance level, respectively. Bacterial populations consist of 22 phyla and Betaproteobacteria were the major phylum consisting of 15 genera including Burkholderia, Polaromonas, Ralstoria, Zoogloea, and Variovorax. Approximately fifty percentage of them was Burkholderia. Burkholderia as the majority of population in the humus was considered to play a role in degrading lignin in humus layer of oak forest.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.557-586
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• 2009

Although energy demand management policy attracts attention internationally and domestically, the importance of local government in this policy is not so much as central government. But local government can do a role with regard to this policy because it is close to energy consumers not like central government. So local energy plan should be based on the understanding local energy consumption characteristics to activate local energy demand management policy. This paper tries to analyze energy characteristics of 16 local governments by decomposing energy consumption into population, production and intensity factors. The result of index decomposition analysis shows that energy intensity improvement has offset the increase of energy consumption caused by economic growth in the metropolitan cities, while it couldn't offset in the other provinces because of industrialization based on the manufacturing. In conclusion, this paper suggests that it will be necessary to switch to low energy society by carrying out concrete energy efficiency improvement projects in the metropolitan cities while it will be helpful to make a local development plan for low energy intensive industrialization in the other provinces.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.660-665
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• 2002

In Korea, an olive flounder is very popular fish food item. However, due to the increasing human population, the present catches of the olive flounder may not be sufficient to satisfy the present demand. To increase the supply of the olive flounder, aquaculture has been begun. An interest in the aquaculture of the olive flounder has been increased recently because of its characteristics of good growth and high price in the market, However, the productivity of the olive flounder aquaculture depends on economic inputs such as fuels, facilities, and labor. The rapid growths of the olive flounder aquaculture and the concerns about economic and ecological sustainability have focused peoples attention on the aquaculture industry. In this study, an energy systems model was built to simulate the variation of sustainability on the aquaculture of olive flounder, The results of simulation based on calibration data in 1995 show that olive flounder production yield and asset slowly increase to steady state because of the law of supply and demand. The results of simulation based on the variation of oil price show that the more increase the oil price, the more decrease the olive flounder economic yield and asset. Energy sources required for systems determine the sustainability of systems. Conclusionally, the present systems of the olive flounder aquaculture should be transformed to ecological-recycling systems or ecological engineering systems which depend on renewable resources rather than aquaculture systems which depend on fossil fuels, and be harmonized with the fishing fisheries by the sustainable use of renewable resources in the carrying capacity.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.3345-3350
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• 2014

We investigated to assess the relationships between the major nutrients and phytoplankton dynamics during the spring season in 2010 and 2011 at 23 stations in Jinhae Bay, Korea. The bay is divided into four different zones based on pollutant sources and geographical characteristics. Nutrient limitation (>80%) was significant in Zone II, which is located in central bay and is influenced by the water well mixed from outer bay. The limited nutrient was followed in Zone III and IV that was occupying between 17% and 83%. However, the low levels are being kept below 35% in Zone I, which is characterized by the semi-enclosed eutrophic area of Masan and Haegam bays. Based on the PCA (principle component analysis) analysis, the nitrogen (N) sources in 2010 were particularly dominant and it may be due to the water mixing and wastewater formed from bottom layers and sewage. In 2011, major nutrients including nitrogen, silicon and phosphorus were dominant in the bay and are supplied by the river discharge after rainfalls with low salinity conditions. In particular, the N nutrients being supplied in 2010 are correlated with pennate diatoms Pseudo-nitzchia spp. and is not related to the phytoplankton population densities in 2011. The present study suggests that N sources play an important role in the proliferation of diatom, and the rapid nutrient uptakes by them are potential nutrient limitation factors in the bay.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.3
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• pp.419-430
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• 2021

This study investigated spatiotemporal trends of sediment-related disasters in North Korea from 1960 to 2019 and post-disaster recovery cases based on a literature review and satellite images. Results showed that occurrence status of sediment-related disasters was initially externally reported in 1995 (during the Kim Jongil era); their main triggering factor was heavy summer rainfall. Furthermore, forest degradation rate was positively correlated with population density (R² = 0.4347, p = 0.02) and occurrence number of sediment-related disasters was relatively high on the west coast region, where both variables showed high values. This indicates that human activity was a major cause of forest degradation and thus, significantly affected sediment-related disasters in mountain regions. Finally, sediment- related disasters due to shallow landslides, debris flow, and slow-moving landslides were observed in undisturbed forest regions and human-impacted forest regions, including terraced fields, opencast mines, forest roads, and post-wildfire areas, via satellite image analysis. These disaster-hit areas remained mostly abandoned without any recovery works, whereas hillside erosion control work (e.g., treeplanting with terracing) or torrent erosion control work (e.g., check dam, debris flow guide bank) were implemented in certain areas. These findings can provide reference information to expand inter-Korean exchange and cooperation in forest rehabilitation and erosion control works of North Korea.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2021

Distribution aspects and extinction threat evaluation of the endangered species, Rhynchocypris semotilus were investigated in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea, June 2020. Among the 12 sampling sites investigated during the study period, samples of R. semotilus were collected 268 individuals at 6 sites. The streams inhabited of R. semotilus were Songhyeoncheon (3 stations), Gojindong (2 stations) and Osodong (1 station). The main habitats of R. semotilus were uppermost and upper stream (Aa type) with 3~15 m water flow width, 0.3~1.3 m depth and high ratio boulder and cobble bottoms. The estimated age of the R. semotilus (June) based on their total length distribution indicated that 0-, 1-, 2-, 3- and more than 4-year-old were 6~27 mm, 38~59 mm, 60~75 mm, 78~93 mm and 96~125 mm, respectively, and their has matured reproductive organs over two years old. R. semotilus investigation results of the threat of extinction showed no tendency to decrease in population size, but estimated to be less than 1,000 mature individuals, with a small range of extend of occurrence (39.668 km²), area of occupancy (16 km²), and number of disconnected locations (3 locations). Therefore, R. semotilus is now considered vulnerable (VU D2) based on the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.