• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.17-24
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• 2023

Purpose - The objective of this research is to investigate how lowering labor market frictions for female workers affects corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach - We utilize the staggered adoption of state-level Paid Family Leave (PFL) acts in the U.S. These acts provide significant flexibility for female employees by mandating paid leave for a family or medical events. Our study is based on a sample of 30,027 publicly traded firms in the U.S. from 1991 to 2012. We employ a difference-in-differences research design, considering treated firms as those headquartered in states that enacted PFL laws. Findings - We find that there is a significant increase in the firms' CSR performance following the adoption of the PFL, suggesting that lowering the labor market frictions for female workers encourages firms to invest in CSR initiatives. Research implications or Originality - This study informs policy makers that PFL enables firms to reduce costly employee turnover and results in an increase in CSR performance.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.213-227
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• 2023

This paper aims to examine the farmers' perceptions of the importance and feasibility of climate change awareness and adaptive measures in agriculture, utilizing paired sample t-tests and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Significant differences were found in farmers' views on the importance and urgency of climate change issues, with specific factors standing out. The IPA analysis identified key issues requiring sustained attention, including climate change magnitude, extreme weather events, livestock damage scale, pest fluctuations, and variability in flowering periods. Additionally, the study revealed significant disparities in farmers' perceptions of the importance and feasibility of adaptive measures, except for specific items related to heat indices.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.161-161
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• 2003

During the last century, most scientific questions related to climate change were focused on the evidence of anthropogenic global warming (IPCC, 2001). There are robust evidences of warming and also human-induced climate change. We now understand the global, mean change a little bit better; however, the uncertainties for regional climate change still remains large. The purpose of this study is to understand the past climate change over Korea based on the observational data and to project future regional climate change over East Asia using ECHAM4/HOPE model and MM5 for downscaling. There are significant evidences on regional climate change in Korea, from several variables. The mean annual temperature over Korea has increased about 1.5∼$1.7^{\circ}C$ during the 20th century, including urbanization effect in large cities which can account for 20-30% of warming in the second half of the 20th century. Cold extreme temperature events occurred less frequently especially in the late 20th century, while hot extreme temperature events were more common than earlier in the century. The seasonal and annual precipitation was analyzed to examine long-term trend on precipitation intensity and extreme events. The number of rainy days shows a significant negative trend, which is more evident in summer and fall. Annual precipitation amount tends to increase slightly during the same period. This suggests an increase of precipitation intensity in this area. These changes may influence on growing seasons, floods and droughts, diseases and insects, marketing of seasonal products, energy consumption, and socio-economic sectors. The Korean Peninsular is located at the eastern coast of the largest continent on the earth withmeso-scale mountainous complex topography and itspopulation density is very high. And most people want to hear what will happen in their back yards. It is necessary to produce climate change scenario to fit forhigh-resolution (in meteorological sense, but low-resolution in socio-economic sense) impact assessment. We produced one hundred-year, high-resolution (∼27 km), regional climate change scenario with MM5 and recognized some obstacles to be used in application. The boundary conditions were provided from the 240-year simulation using the ECHAM4/HOPE-G model with SRES A2 scenario. Both observation and simulation data will compose past and future regional climate change scenario over Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9635-9641
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• 2014

Background: This retrospective study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic agents in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving TACE and compare the difference between lamivudine and entecavir. Materials and Methods: A consecutive series of 203 HBV-related HCC patients receiving TACE were analyzed including 91 patients given prophylactic agents. Virologic events, defined as an increase in serum HBV DNA level to more than 1 log10 IU/ml higher than the nadir level, hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation and progression free survival (PFS) were the main endpoints. Results: Some 48 (69.6%) reached virologic response. Prophylaxis significantly reduced virologic events (8.8% vs 58.0%, p=0.000) and hepatitis flares (1.1% vs 13.4%, p=0.001). Patients presenting undetectable HBV DNA levels displayed a significantly improved PFS as compared to those who never achieved undetectable HBV DNA. Prophylaxis and e-antigen positivity were the only significant variables associated with virologic events. In addition, prophylaxis was the only independent protective factor for hepatitis flares. Liver cirrhosis, more cycles of TACE, HBV DNA negativity, a lower Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score, non-metastasis and no hepatitis flares were protective factors for PFS. Prophylactic lamivudine demonstrated similar efficacy as entecavir. Conclusions: Prophylactic agents are efficacious for prevention of HBV reactivation in HCC patients receiving TACE. Achievement of undetectable HBV DNA levels displayed a significant capability in improving PFS. Moreover, persistent tumor residual lesions, positive HBV DNA and hepatitis B flares might be causes of tumor progression in these patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.111-117
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• 2013

Objectives We investigated the effectiveness and safety when treated in schizophrenics with paliperidone palmitate, a long acting injectable antipsychotic. Methods This was a 24-week open-label study, performed at one center in Korea. The eligible patients with schizophrenia diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria were enrolled. Patients received long-acting paliperidone palmitate injection (234 mg, baseline; 156 mg, week 1 ; then once 4 weeks flexible dosing). Effectiveness assessments were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), The Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale (CGI-S), The Personal and Social Performance (PSP) at baseline, week 1, every 4 weeks untill 24 weeks or endpoint. Safety assessments were measured by The Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS), body weight (BW) and incidence of adverse events. Oral antipsychotics were stopped or tapered off within next 14 days. Results Of 20 patients recruited, 9 patients (45%) completed the study. Paliperidone palmitate produced a significant improvement in PANSS total score from baseline to endpoint. The response rate was 75% [mean change (${\pm}SD$) $-25.9{\pm}14.4$, all p < 0.001]. The CGI-S and PSP total scores significantly improved during 24 weeks (All p < 0.001). Eighty percent of patients reported adverse events and most common adverse events (${\geq}10%$) in paliperidone palmitate were anticholinergic adverse event, extrapyramidal symptoms, weight gain, akathisia, insomnia, headache, agitation, anxiety and GI trouble. ESRS score is not statistically significant, but tends to get better at the end of the study when compared to baseline. Conclusions Our study results demonstrated maintained effectiveness and safety of paliperidone palmitate treatment in schizophrenics. And provides both clinicians and patients with a new choice of treatment that can improve the outcome of long term therapy. Their potential effectiveness and safety should be better addressed by future randomized-controlled trials.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.357-367
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• 2022

Background: Low-dose dexmedetomidine may be a suitable alternative to opioids for pediatric ambulatory procedures under general anesthesia (GA). However, the recovery profile remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the effects of low-dose dexmedetomidine on the recovery profile of children. Methods: Seventy-two children undergoing ambulatory oral rehabilitation under GA were randomly and equally distributed into two groups (D and F). Group D received an infusion of dexmedetomidine 0.25 ㎍/kg for 4 min for induction, followed by maintenance of 0.4 ㎍/kg/h. Group F received an infusion of fentanyl 1 ㎍/kg over 4 min for induction, followed by maintenance at 1 ㎍/kg/h. The primary outcome was the extubation time. The secondary outcomes were awakening time, end-tidal sevoflurane (ET-Sevo) requirement, change in hemodynamic parameters, Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario pain scale (CHEOPS) score, length of PACU stay, and incidence of adverse events. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the recovery profile between the groups: the median time for extubation was 3.65 (3.44-6.2) vs. 6.25 (4.21-7) minutes in groups D vs. F (P=0.001), respectively, while the corresponding awakening times were 19 (18.75-21) and 22.5 (22-24) minutes, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean ET-Sevo was low in group D (1.1 vs. 1.2; P < 0.001). The heart rate was significantly low across all time points in group D, without resulting in bradycardia. The median RASS and CHEOPS scores were also significantly lower in group D. No significant differences were observed in the mean arterial pressure, incidence of adverse events, or length of PACU stay. Conclusion: Low-dose dexmedetomidine was more effective than fentanyl as an opioid substitute at providing a better recovery profile in pediatric ambulatory oral rehabilitation under GA. Dexmedetomidine also significantly reduced sevoflurane consumption without causing adverse events or prolonging hospital stay.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.398-406
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: Optimal anticoagulation in very elderly patients is challenging due to the high risk of anticoagulant-induced bleeding. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of on-label reduced-dose edoxaban (30 mg) in very elderly patients who had additional risk factors for bleeding. Methods: This was a multi-center, prospective, non-interventional observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of on-label reduced-dose edoxaban in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients 80 years of age or older and who had more than 1 risk factor for bleeding. Results: A total of 2448 patients (mean age 75.0±8.3 years, 801 [32.7%] males) was included in the present study, and 586 (23.9%) were 80 years of age or older with additional risk factors for bleeding. Major bleeding events occurred frequently among very elderly AF patients who had additional bleeding risk factors compared to other patients (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-4.02); however, there were no significant differences in stroke incidence (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 0.98-3.55). There were no significant differences for either factor after adjusting for age and sex (adjusted HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.75-3.62 for major bleeding; adjusted HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.51-2.50 for stroke). Conclusions: In very elderly AF patients with comorbidities associated with greater risk of bleeding, the incidence of major bleeding events was significantly increased. In addition, risk of stroke showed tendency to increase in same population. Effective anticoagulation therapy might be important in these high-risk population, and close observation of bleeding events might also be required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.140-148
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• 2017

The effectiveness of the first flush treatment system using settling process was evaluated to reduce urban nonpoint source pollutant loads to surface water during storm events. A pilot scale system was constructed and tested in the field and surface runoff samples were collected automatically according to pre-defined conditions. Nine rainfall events were tested and average removal efficiencies of TSS (Total Suspended Solid), TP (Total Phosphorus) and TN (Total Nitrogen) were evaluated as 87.4%, 75.3%, and 43.6%, respectively. Concentration and removal efficiency of pollutants were found to be affected by an amount of rainfall and rainfall intensities of the respective events. This seemed to be caused by the greater particulate fractions of first flushed samples than the samples collected in later time periods during the same rainfall events. The study showed that it is possible to remove a significant portion of the nonpoint source pollutant loads in initial rainfall runoff by using a simple settling process for TSS and TP without requiring additional power or chemicals.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.41-53
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• 2014

The special observation using Radiosonde was performed to investigate precipitation events over the east coast of Korea during the winter season from 5 January to 29 February 2012. This analysis focused on the various indices to describe the characteristics of the atmospheric instability. Equivalent Potential Temperature (EPT) from surface (1000 hPa) to middle level (near 750 hPa) was increased when the precipitation occurred and these levels (1000~750 hPa) had moisture enough to cause the instability of atmosphere. The temporal evolution of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) appeared to be enhanced when the precipitation fell. Similar behavior was also observed for the temporal evolution of Storm Relative Helicity (SRH), indicating that it had a higher value during the precipitation events. To understand a detailed structure of atmospheric condition for the formation of precipitation, the surface remote sensing data and Automatic Weather System (AWS) data were analyzed. We calculated the Total Precipitable Water FLUX (TPWFLUX) using TPW and wind vector. TPWFLUX and precipitation amount showed a statistically significant relationship in the north easterly winds. The result suggested that understanding of the dynamical processes such as wind direction be important to comprehend precipitation phenomenon in the east coast of Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8665-8670
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• 2016

Background and Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation was reported to be induced by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinonma (HCC) patients with a high incidence. The effective strategy to reduce hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation in this specific group of patients was limited to lamivudine. This retrospective study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic entecavir in HCC patients receiving TACE. Methods: A consecutive series of 191 HBV-related HCC patients receiving TACE were analyzed including 44 patients received prophylactic entecavir. Virologic events, defined as an increase in serum HBV DNA level to more than 1 log10 copies/ml higher than nadir the level, and hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation were the main endpoints. Results: Patients with or without prophylactic were similar in host factors and the majorities of characteristics regarding to tumor factors, HBV status, liver function and LMR. Notably, cycles of TACE were parallel between the groups. Ten (22.7%) patients receiving prophylactic entecavir reached virologic response. The patients receiving prophylactic entecavir presented significantly reduced virologic events (6.8% vs 54.4%, p=0.000) and hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation (0.0% vs 11.6%, p=0.039) compared with patients without prophylaxis. Kaplan-Meier analysis illustrated that the patients in the entecavir group presented significantly improved virologic events free survival (p=0.000) and hepatitis flare free survival (p=0.017). Female and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 2 was the only significant predictors for virological events in patients without prophylactic antiviral. Rescue antiviral therapy did not reduce the incidence of hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation. Conclusion: Prophylactic entecavir presented promising efficacy in HBV-related cancer patients receiving TACE. Lower performance status and female gender might be the predictors for HBV reactivation in these patients.