• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.181-186
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• 2006

A pharmacological inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in rats produces vasoconstriction, renal dysfunction, and hypertension. The present study was aimed at investigating whether the methanol extract of Serous commixta cortex (MSC) ameliorates $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) induced hypertension in rats. Treatment of rats with L-NAME (10 mg/kg/day in drinking water, 5 weeks) caused a sustained increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP). Administration of MSC (100 or 200 mg/kg/day, p.o) significantly lowered the SBP in the L-NAME-treated rats and this effect was maintained throughout the whole experimental period. Moreover, ecNOS expression in aorta and kidney tissue from L-NAME treated rats was significantly restored dy administration of MSC. Furthermore, the impairment of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation of aortic rings in the L-NAME treated rats was reversed dy administering of MSC. The renal functional parameters including urinary volume, sodium excretion, and creatinine clearance (Ccr) were also restored by administering MSC. Taken together, the present study suggeststhat MSC prevents the increase in SBP in rats with L-NAME-induced hypertension, which may result from the up-regulation of the vascular and renal ecNOS/No system.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2000

In modern society, the amount of alcohol ingestion is increasing at a dangerous level, especially among women. One of reason for increased alcohol consumption is stress caused by social pressures. Alcohol is a kind of depressant of centric nervous system, so it can induce relaxation of body and decrease the stress. The evidence on the effects of alcohol on the fetus is somewhat hazy, whereas that of smoking is quite clear. The literature on the ingestion of alcohol strongly suggests that drinking during pregnancy is associated with teratogenic effect and low birth weight. Therefore, the adverse effect of alcohol ingestion during pregnancy must be informed to public. More remarkable warning sign about alcohol ingestion must be attached on the top of bottles. This can be an effective measure for public education. Also legal sanction or tax imposition for the production of liquor be required. First of all, drinking habit or drinking culture must be changed. In fact, the strongest motivation of drinking in adolescent is a peer pressure which is related to drinking habit or culture. Secondly, early detection and treatment must be required to prevent from fetal alcohol syndrome. Accordingly, drinking history of pregnant women must be assessed as early as possible and health professional should give a warning about the abstinence of alcohol to drinking women. Thirdly, to minimize the adverse effects for mother, withdrawal syndrome by alcohol ingestion must be treated. to correct the malformation by fetal alcohol syndrome(FAS) can be corrected. Sometimes surgical intervention may be required for this purpose.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.302-308
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• 2020

Objective: The endurance and strength of deep neck flexor (DNF) muscles have a major role on the function and stability of the cervical spine. In recent years, there has been a lack of research that have investigated the muscle tone of the superficial neck muscles. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of between contraction ratio of the DNF and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles, DNF endurance, and muscle tension of the neck muscles. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty-seven subjects (male=20, female=27) participated in this study. The muscle tone of the upper trapezius (UT), SCM, and suboccipital (SO) muscle was measured using a contact soft tissue tone-measuring instrument. For the contraction ratio of the SCM and longus colli muscle, the thickness of the relaxation and maximum contraction state of the SCM and longus colli muscles were assessed using a diagnostic ultrasound measuring instrument and a pressure biofeedback unit. The deep neck flexor endurance test (DNFET) was performed in a cranio-cervical flexion posture. The correlations between the measured variables were investigated. Results: The relationship between the DNFET and SO tone showed a significant negative correlation (p<0.05). The relationship between the DNFET and contraction ratio showed a significant positive correlation (p<0.01). There was no significant correlation between the DNFET and SCM and UT tone. Conclusions: This study confirmed that there is a relationship between DNF endurance, DNF activation, and SO tone. The information on the results of this study may be used as a reference that can be actively applied in the clinical environment.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.205-213
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• 2019

In a construction site, excavation work has a close relation with temporary earth retaining structure. In order to build the underground structure most effectively in a narrow space, prevent soil relaxation of the external behind ground in excavation work, and maintain a ground water level, it is required to install a temporary earth retaining structure that secures safety. To prevent soil washoff in underground excavation work, the conventional method of temporary earth retaining structure is to make a temporary wall and build the internal support with the use of earth anchor, raker, and struct for excavation work. RSB method that improves the problem of the conventional method is to remove the internal support, make use of two-row soldier piles and bracing, and thereby to resist earth pressure independently for underground excavation. This study revealed that through the field application cases of RSB method and the measurement result, the applicability of the method for installing a temporary earth retaining structure, the assessment result, and displacement all met allowable values of measurement, and that the RSB method, compared to the conventional method, improved constructability and economy.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.137-150
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• 2021

The rock-carved standing Buddha triad in Seoak-dong is a large stone Buddha statue of the Unified Silla era (AD 676 to 935) in ancient Korea, built near the top of the southeastern side of mountain Seondosan in Gyeongju, is characterized by its locational importance, the powerful Amitabha and the gentle sculptural technique of the Bodhisattva. In particular, Amitabha Buddha in andesite rock slope with biotite granite pedestal and two Bodhisattva parallel made by alkali granites seems to express the dignity through the color and texture of the stones. In the Amitabha Buddha, deterioration characteristics are accelerating due to the combination of various joint systems, instability of the slopes and relaxation by the root pressure of plants occurring at the top. In addition, physical properties have deteriorated owing to the increase of discontinuous surfaces as joints, cracks and scalings, and the coverage of algae and lichen is also high. Therefore, deterioration degree in Buddha triad is accelerated due to the physical weathering characteristics from natural rock mass and various biological invasion.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.151-163
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• 2021

The main target of this study is to investigate nonlinear transient responses of moving polymer nano-size plates fortified by means of Graphene Platelets (GPLs) and resting on a Winkler-Pasternak foundation under a transverse pressure force and a temperature variation. Two graphene spreading forms dispersed through the plate thickness are studied, and the Halpin-Tsai micro-mechanics model is used to obtain the effective Young's modulus. Furthermore, the rule of mixture is employed to calculate the effective mass density and Poisson's ratio. In accordance with the first order shear deformation and von Karman theory for nonlinear systems, the kinematic equations are derived, and then nonlocal strain gradient scheme is used to reflect the effects of nonlocal and strain gradient parameters on small-size objects. Afterwards, a combined approach, kinetic dynamic relaxation method accompanied by Newmark technique, is hired for solving the time-varying equation sets, and Fortran program is developed to generate the numerical results. The accuracy of the current model is verified by comparative studies with available results in the literature. Finally, a parametric study is carried out to explore the effects of GPL's weight fractions and dispersion patterns, edge conditions, softening and hardening factors, the temperature change, the velocity of moving nanoplate and elastic foundation stiffness on the dynamic response of the structure. The result illustrates that the effects of nonlocality and strain gradient parameters are more remarkable in the higher magnitudes of the nanoplate speed.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.489-503
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• 2019

This study aimed to analyze the preference of subfertile women for forest therapy programs depending on their emotional characteristics, and to provide basic data for the development of forest therapy programs in order to promote the mental health of subfertile women. Among the surveyed emotional characteristics of subfertile women, the level of emotions including pressure to become pregnant, impatience and frustration were high, while that of emotions including anxiety and fear; depression, hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness and sadness tended to be medium. The level of emotions including shame and guilt tended to be low. The top six forest therapy programs preferred by subfertile women include a deep breath of air /phytoncide, forest bathing/wind bathing/sun bathing, self-esteem recovery program, eating organic foods, low body bathing/foot bathing/hot spring bathing, and breathing/breathing exercises. Subfertile women highly pressured to become pregnant showed significant differences in the preference of the self-esteem recovery program, Domar 's relaxation therapy, NLP therapy, and sleeping in the woods, while women with anxiety and fear showed significant differences in the preference of walking barefoot in forests, mountain walking in silence, listening to water sounds/ hand and foot soak, self-esteem recovery program, NLP therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, aroma therapy, integrated art therapy in forests, forest bathing/wind bathing/sunbathing, a deep breath of air/phytoncide, and observing stars. Women with depression, hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness, and sadness showed significant differences in eating organic foods, self-esteem recovery program, counseling/coaching, and cognitive behavior therapy. The significance of this study was to analyze the preference of subfertile women, as subjects, for forest therapy program. The results of this study are expected to be used as basis data for developing forest therapy programs for subfertile women.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the response of the human body to stress induced by wall recording of subway stations in the city center. The experiment was conducted as a simulation exercise, and six images were selected and produced based on Subway Line 2, a representative underground space in Seoul. The study participants included 24 male and female college students. A three-minute experiment was conducted, during which the participants were shown the control image and green wall image once each. To measure psychological status, the following measurement indicators were used: Semantic Differential, Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Physiological changes were investigated by tracking participants' heart rate and blood pressure. Results showed that parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves were activated in the presence of the green wall in the subway station. The psychological evaluation analysis revealed that negative affect toward underground space decreased, while positive affect increased. This study found that the green wall in subway stations has a stable effect on the human body, both psychologically and physiologically. In the future, green walls in underground spaces can be used to reduce psychological stress and increase physiological relaxation.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.584-593
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• 2023

This study attempted to develop repetitive impact sources similar to real-life floor impact noise and to find an assessment approach corresponding to this new impact source. The necessity for the development of the new impact source arises from the fact that issues related to floor impact noise in actual residential buildings mainly stem from children running. However, the standard impact sources which have been used for measuring and evaluating floor impact noise are of single-impulse type, which differs from the actual problematic impact sources. The study encompassed 18 evaluation items, and the results suggest that items applicable for assessing floor impact noise include psychological effects (annoying, becoming angry), disturbances to daily life (interference with sleep, disruption of relaxation), and physiological effects (elevated blood pressure). These items can be employed individually and, depending on the type of evaluation for floor impact noise, can be selectively utilized. By doing so, more comprehensive evaluations of auditory experiments in laboratories or assessments of residential noise in living environments related to floor impact noise could be conducted.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.107-117
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• 2024

This study investigated temporal changes in forest physical variables and their effects on thermal comfort and physiological and psychological responses. Environmental factors (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity), the predicted mean vote (PMV), and the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) visitors were continuously measured between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. We assessed the physiological and psychological responses (heart rate variability, heart rate, oral temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, thermal sensation vote, comfort sensation vote, and subjective feelings) of 30 male university students (average age: 21.7±1.9 years), who closed their eyes and relaxed for 5 minutes every hour. Examination of correlations between environmental factors and physiological responses showed that ① the mean radiant temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity significantly changed with time; ② PMV and PPD also showed significant changes over time, and the thermal sensation vote corresponded with PMV; however, the comfort sensation vote did not correspond with PPD; ③ Among the physiological responses, parasympathetic nerve activity, sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate, and diastolic blood pressure significantly varied with time, with parasympathetic nerve activity having the lowest value and sympathetic nerve activity the highest at the highest air temperature (2:00-4:00 PM); and ④ Air temperature, mean radiant temperature, and wind speed showed a negative correlation with parasympathetic nerve activity and a positive correlation with sympathetic nerve activity. These findings indicate that the relaxation effects of the forest environment depend on what time of day people are exposed to it, and the changes occurring in forest environmental factors over time modulate these effects.